Robins Road to Recovery
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On the 18th December 2014, 58-year old Robin Maitland (our Dad), husband of Claire and father of Harry, Cara, Anna and Jack, underwent nine hours of back surgery to remove a benign tumour on his spine. The operation was considered to be a ‘success’ by the surgeons, however something went terribly wrong. Dad woke up unable to feel anything from his chest down and a high C4-level spinal injury that has left him severely paralysed. Initially we feared for his life as he soon went into respiratory failure during which both of his lungs collapsed. This left him in an induced coma, unable to speak for several weeks whilst doctors suggested he may have brain damage. It was at this point that a tracheotomy was fitted, something that he is going to have for the rest of his life, along with the need for around the clock medical care.
Perplexed doctors eventually discovered that the root of Dad’s paralysis was neurological. An exact diagnosis has never been found.
Thankfully today Dad is still very much Dad, but he is unable to perform basic day-to-day functions that the rest of us take for granted. Now, two years on, he remains in hospital having managed just one overnight visit home with the help of two nurses. Dad’s condition means that he needs 24/7 care, two live-in carers and a specially adapted wheelchair. The family home has already been extensively altered in order to enable him to come home.
Our family would now like to purchase a car that will give him some semblance of normality. From daily excursions to short breaks away, rugby matches at his beloved Murrayfield, or even the ultimate goal of a Bruce Springsteen concert! If we were lucky enough to exceed that we'd use any remaining donations to get Dad a wheelchair that would allow him to get off the tarmac and concrete and into the countryside that he so loves to take his dogs for walks in.
We ask you to share Dad’s story and this page so that his life may be made more bearable. He has shown such incredible fight, humour and strength throughout, and our family have been touched by the overwhelming support of friends, family and followers.
This platform has been set up by us, the Maitland kids, in the hope of raising sufficient funds to help provide a specially modified vehicle and more effective chair if possible. We would be immensely grateful for any support, however small, that would help make his, and our, dreams a reality.
Perplexed doctors eventually discovered that the root of Dad’s paralysis was neurological. An exact diagnosis has never been found.
Thankfully today Dad is still very much Dad, but he is unable to perform basic day-to-day functions that the rest of us take for granted. Now, two years on, he remains in hospital having managed just one overnight visit home with the help of two nurses. Dad’s condition means that he needs 24/7 care, two live-in carers and a specially adapted wheelchair. The family home has already been extensively altered in order to enable him to come home.
Our family would now like to purchase a car that will give him some semblance of normality. From daily excursions to short breaks away, rugby matches at his beloved Murrayfield, or even the ultimate goal of a Bruce Springsteen concert! If we were lucky enough to exceed that we'd use any remaining donations to get Dad a wheelchair that would allow him to get off the tarmac and concrete and into the countryside that he so loves to take his dogs for walks in.
We ask you to share Dad’s story and this page so that his life may be made more bearable. He has shown such incredible fight, humour and strength throughout, and our family have been touched by the overwhelming support of friends, family and followers.
This platform has been set up by us, the Maitland kids, in the hope of raising sufficient funds to help provide a specially modified vehicle and more effective chair if possible. We would be immensely grateful for any support, however small, that would help make his, and our, dreams a reality.
Organizer
Maitland Children
Organizer
