Pamela Mills
Late last year my brother Allan, 45 and apparently healthy, suffered from a haemorrhagic stroke, which almost took him away from us. After life-saving surgery and a week-long coma, Allan woke up severely impacted. He has paralysis on his left side and is unable to walk or push his wheelchair unassisted. His short-term memory is very bad, and he has trouble remembering the date, or even what happened morning to afternoon. Allan is missing a bone flap to relieve the swelling on his brain, and the cherry on top is that he lost three front teeth during intubation in the ambulance when they saved his life with vital oxygen. We have been advised that the government will only cover the cost of dentures, which are not appropriate for someone in his condition.
But things are improving with the excellent medical, physio and occupational treatment Allan is receiving in his care home. Unfortunately this has been at a huge financial cost to our family as recovery care and income protection are not covered by ACC. Despite working all his life, Allan is unable to use disability benefits to pay his mortgage, a house which took over a decade of saving and grind to purchase and the first house that our family has ever owned. Allan’s care costs are also unsustainable as they are not entirely covered by the government, and we have been using savings to cover costs. We searched high and low for a care home that also looks after young people, rather than send Allan to a place where people spend the last years of their lives – these are not the last years of his life.
We were raised in a single-parent household and over the years Allan stepped up to look after my little sister and me. Allan is an amazing brother and friend, generous and kind, deeply loved by those close to him. Allan has developed a wicked sense of humour and has accepted his new circumstances with grace and courage. He is an inspiration to all of us and we know that with the right care, he will get better and regain more independence.
Allan’s employers are also devastated to lose him, they have even said that he can come back to his job as a chef at any time, although he is a long way from that, if ever.
We will use our fundraiser to pay for Allan’s care, dental work and house. Allan deserves to return home, God willing, and not into a much worse situation.
We know that with enough small donations, you can really make a difference to Allan’s recovery. We will not forget what you have done for us. Our gratitude will last a lifetime.
Please make a donation today, and give Allan the care that he has so generously given to others all his life.
https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/help-support-allan-on-his-road-to-recovery
Sincerely, Pamela Mills and the whole Mills clan.
