Help us to bring Syd home.
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SYDS STORY...
In May 2014, Syd our Daddio, Pop Pop and my mothers Soul mate suffered a Type B Aortic Dissection which required immediate surgery to repair one of the main arteries to his heart. He defied all odds and the operation was a success - he survived.
Shortly after he suffered a respiratory arrest followed by a cardiac arrest which lead to him having to be intubated and on life supports for weeks in ICU At Waikato Hospital.
This was to date the most devastating thing that had ever occurred within our small family unit.
After several attempts to extubate and lots of complications along the way he was eventually given a tracheotomy tube and slowly came to which was amazing, our daddio was awake and back with us.
We we soon to discover he was suffering a severe Hypoxic Brain Injury, requiring 24 hour care, he can't walk, talk or do anything for himself anymore.
The Hunter, fisherman and our daddio we once knew him as was trapped in his own body and suffering from this severe Brain injury.
He was eventually transferred back to Gisborne where he over time wasted away and regressed tremendously, lost muscle tone and lost the will.
He no longer smiled and was sad.
This is not who my dad is.
There were no active rehabilitation plans in place and because he suffers from bouts of agitation due to the nature of his injury he was painted to be a monster, a dangerous gentleman and this is NOT who our daddio is.
After a very long road our father, husband and pop pop traveled back to Waikato by ambulance for what we were lead to believe was the start of rehabilitation and we were unaware that this was a trial period to see how he would cope however he was discharged and was transferred to a psycho-geriatric unit middle of October and after Neglect and abuse from certain healthcare assistants who were supposed to be caring for Syd, we made an official complaint and then they jumped, trying to cover their backsides.
They wanted Syd out and all of a sudden to them he became a danger to the staff. They then said that he should be under mental health care (This was after a week where they acted like everything was all sunshine and roses and wanted to help Syd - Until the abuse started and he was found in the most unimaginable state) and a MHA Enforced as they put him into an older persons mental health facility where he remains until such time he is ready for ABI Rehabilitation.
He is completely and utterly traumatized by the events which occurred at the facility and it will take a lot of time for him to recover from this only adding to the overwhelming emotions he already feels.
He requires full time 24hour secure care and can no longer speak or walk due to the nature of his Hypoxic Brain injury and is often extremely agitated and irritable.
He needs to be where the specialists are and around people who know about these kinds of injuries... not put into temporary care at a Psycho-Geriatric care unit where he is abused while people 'figure out what to do' which will only set him back more.
He is rapidly regressing and we want to give our daddio the best chance.
A chance at giving rehab and care a go in the place that will benefit him - ABI Rehabilitation in Auckland.
Please See current update at the end of this post
SYDS DREAM.....
To come home!
When he comes home to Gisborne, modifications on the home will need to be in place to ensure that he is comfortable and has the best place in the sun where he can sit on his porch every day in the sun with his family and his dogs at his feet, this is his dream and the only one he has left.
Whilst providers are determining funding and issues - By tossing the 'hot potato' he is regressing and wasting away.
He was always better than that and used to give anyone a chance no matter who they were.
Dad has always befriended people, no matter the circumstances, in offering them a roof over their head, food on the table, helping them into work, right down to the shirt off his back, with a compulsory dose of counsel and advice thrown in.
At 60 years old he still has a life left to live and we want to offer him the best possible quality of life. He deserves a fighting chance. Please help us give him that chance he so much deserves to start modifications on our home so we can eventually bring Syd, our Daddio, Pop-Pop and my mothers Soul mate home.
Please help us with our plan to bring our Daddio home.
UPDATE
ANNIVERSARY MONTH OF MAY
Kia Ora.. to all the important people in Syd’s life.
It does not seem as if 3 months have passed since our last update. It has been weeks which have seen jubilation, trials and tribulations.
Syd is still residing at the ABI Brain Injury centre in Ranui, Auckland. It has been nearly 6 months since he arrived up there. The progresses made have been astounding.
Up until about 5 weeks ago it was mostly roses for him….and of course us!
We remain ever positive and hopeful that he may well regain that path of progression, but the most deeply entrenched desire to be at home in Patutahi with his children and grandchildren has overridden everything else. Including the motivation and enthusiasm he had, to participate in the daily rehabilitation activities and therapies.
In a bid to alleviate the stressors for him and other clients in House 1 & 2 at ABI, he was moved to House 8, which is a standalone self contained house, shared with 1 other client. Way better.
He is homesick and pining for home. This has resulted in increased frustrations, irritabilities, and anxieties and unfortunately this sometimes cumulates in aggressive behaviour. We know this is a major factor in his regression, but he has also been found to have T3 Thyroidism, which does have some other and synonymous complicating symptoms or presentations.
We talk to Syd, and explain daily about the plan and actions that need to occur to bring him home, including him in all of this, in a bid to make it real and reinforce it happening. Show him some plans and photos of what we intend to do.
He will forget or cannot remember from the previous day, and lacks the ability to comprehend some of the time. But he is still extremely astute and we know that once he does return home he will feel it, and know he is there, he may not even be able to see he is home, as some times he can see and sometimes he cannot.
We completely understand his phases and behaviours as do the specialists who work with all types of Brain Injury manifestations. A lot of people don’t, and this is a real concern as we begin to plan for the turn in his journey path…the road back home.
Our concern is that he would not cope with being moved to another facility, albeit Gisborne….as he is still not “home” and would have to endure the insecurities of the unknown again, and the levels of care will never be as encompassing and as ABI.
A further concern is that because of his clinical behavioural scores on the papers, there is a possibility he will not be accepted as eligible for care in Gisborne.
This whole picture and cummulation of the past year with all of Syd’s trials & Trauma’s, has the potential to be totally overwhelming and make one wonder where an earth to go from here…..Syd knows where he has to go, and we know that he deserves nothing more than for us to take him there…. and that place is home.
The obstacles are perpetual and prove the greatest logistical challenge yet, but with the faith, love & support we have, we know we can do this.
ACC have as at 4th May 2015, declined Syd’s Treatment injury claim, so at this time the funding is virtually non-existent. This decision was given to meet the statutory requirements, that a decision as such, must be determined at the expiration of 9 months from claim date. The upside is the investigation has not been finalised.
As time is now of the essence, I about to commence a review of the claim and have a reputable Medical Law specialist to step in.
Thanks to the unerring assistance of Kelsey we are updating this Journey page to date, back tracking to fill in the gaps of the past & missing months. From there we will keep this Journey Link page current and begin to identify the proposed action plan, and to encompass all the people and resources that will form the basis of this project.…….”The House We Built For Jack….” ( for those of you that didn’t know, Jack is Syd’s first name).
Instead of the discouragement and futility it would be so easy to feel…we are excited, confident and alive in the thought that miracles do happen. Let us see one here.
In the next week we will post the plan we intend to follow and how allow the opportunity for anyone who would like to be part of this to be involved.
Thank you all for taking the time to catch up on Syd’s days, and for all the aroha and prayers that come our way.
Naku i roto i nga mihi, na
Sue, Kelsey, Lima & Dean
Gisborne herald Article - A house built for Jack 6 July 2015
A A GISBORNE family is desperate for help for their “rock” — a husband, father and grandfather — after he suffered a severe brain injury.
Syd Gudgeon had an aortic dissection at Waikato Hospital in May of 2014. The surgery was successful and Mr Gudgeon was moved to the high dependency unit.
There two days later he suffered a respiratory arrest and a cardiac arrest. He was put into an induced coma for three weeks.
When he woke up they discovered he had suffered a hypoxic brain injury. ACC investigations are ongoing as to the cause of his respiratory arrest and response times, and intervention by staff.
The Gudgeon family hopes this might offer an explanation for the severity of his brain injury.
He now has speech impairments, is almost blind, cannot walk unassisted, is in a wheelchair, is reliant on 24-hour care and has bouts of agitation and frustration — common with brain injuries.
However, on top their grief and anger Mr Gudgeon’s family have more important worries — how to deal with the fact that the man they once knew is lost to them and how to bring him home.
While at Waikato Hospital he had no formal neurological assessment and was eventually transferred back to Gisborne Hospital in July.
He was transferred back to Waikato in October.
The Gudgeon family were led to believe that transfer was to start rehabilitation.
But they say he was discharged from Waikato and transferred without their consent to a psycho-geriatric home.
While at the home he suffered “neglect” from healthcare assistants.
His wife of 28 years Suzanne arrived to visit her husband one weekend, to find him lying on the floor in his room.
“He was covered in cuts and severe bruises and swellings, while his caregiver sat on a chair with his feet up. We made an official complaint.
“Trying to cover their backsides, they said Syd was a danger to staff.
“That is not the Syd we know. He is a strong and passionate man with a heart of gold, always looking out for the underdog.”
A complaint is with the health and disability commissioner.
Mr Gudgeon was immediately sent back to Waikato Hospital until they could get him into the Auckland Brain Injury Centre (ABI).
In December, Mr Gudgeon made the move to ABI. There he made “astounding progress” says Mrs Gudgeon.
“They are amazing there. He is a smaller man now but he still has a big aura and personality, and is still quite commanding in that respect.”
Mrs Gudgeon has driven to Auckland to see her husband every weekend for the past year.
“He really progressed at ABI. He is off hard drugs that were used to restrain him. He was doing so well — until suddenly it stopped.
“He is just so lonely and he wants to come home to his family so badly.
“He cannot talk a lot but he can talk enough. He begs to be taken home.”
Mr Gudgeon often tries to leave ABI or get staff to take him to the bus so he can get back to his Patutahi home.
His long-term memory is sometimes intact but his short-term memory is limited. This can often result in frustration and confusion as to why he cannot go home.
“He has been there for six months and has suffered so much over the year. He is scared and says he feels locked out of his brain. He told me it is like a living hell.
“We just want to bring him home. It will not be easy but it is what you do for your loved ones,” says Mrs Gudgeon.
The hallways of the Gudgeon family home are too narrow for a wheelchair and the bedrooms are all upstairs. So it is not suitable for Mr Gudgeon.
There is a sunny deck attached to the house where he used to spend a lot of time relaxing with his family. They want to turn it into a room with a bathroom, complete with enough deck space left for him to sit in the sun with them again.
“It is the only dream he has left — to live out his days at home with his family on his sunny porch, with his dog at his feet.”
Mr Gudgeon was due to be discharged from ABI this week. However, the family has not yet found a suitable replacement facility. ABI understands the difficulty in finding a place for him and while ABI still wants discharge planning to continue, it is flexible on the time frame.
(Gisborne Hospital staff have been working with the family to find the best place for Mr Gudgeon and his family to continue rehabilitation and the best place for healthcare workers to provide 24-hour care — see separate story).
Mr Gudgeon’s son Dean lives in Auckland and visits him during the week until Suzanne can visit at weekends.
Mrs Gudgeon says she focuses on the positives.
“Our friends say when we met it was like a fairytale, so I try to focus on how lucky we are and how lucky we have been. “We used to dance on the deck at night and he was a real hunter-gatherer, and always there for his family and friends.”
Mr Gudgeon managed Gisborne Tatapouri Sports Fishing Club from 2000 for two years. He then moved to Bernard Matthews, a meat processing plant, where he was union president for six years. In 2008 he had a work accident and was off work on ACC up until his heart surgery last year.
“He has not had an easy run. He used to say to me, ‘I can feel the universe aligning, everything is going to be just fine’, so I know we can do this.”
The family has set up a “Givealittle” page to raise money for the renovations that can bring their “Daddio, rock and soulmate” home.
Mr Gudgeon’s daughter Kelsey says they are desperate.
“You look at him and what he was and what he is now — it is hard.
“You feel guilty at times because he is here, he is alive and he can comprehend some things. But you also constantly grieve for all the things he has been stripped of.
“It is one of the worst things a family could go through.
“My coping strategy is to just put my frustrations and sadness into trying to make people aware of situations like this and getting him home.”
Kelsey says her father’s words of advice are helping the family in their time of need.
“He used to tell me, ‘you have nothing to fear’.
“Any donations to the Givealittle account are huge. A dollar is huge — anything for him to have peace in his heart and peace of mind.
“Building that room is our main goal so we can catch our breath. It is like we have taken a huge breath and it is just all coming in and we have not had a chance to let it out yet.”
To donate to the Givealittle page The House We Built for Jack, go to /givealittle.co.nz/cause/fightingforsydney.
The fund stands at $1665.
“Bringing him home would mean everything,” says Ms Gudgeon.
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