For some time my life hung in the balance but then I began to mend.
I returned to Wales and underwent extensive plastic surgery on my torso
at Swansea Hospital. Progress was hampered by contracting the ‘superbug’
MRSA and developing a thrombosis in my leg as a result of the blood-thickening
effects of hyperbaric treatment.
I will always remember the joy of returning home albeit with a colostomy
and in a wheelchair.
Subsequent medical examinations revealed the source of the NF – an
anal fistula which caused an abscess which, in turn, developed into Fournier’s
Gangrene, a virulent form of fasciitis.
Three abdominal surgeries removed the abscess, closed the fistula and
reversed the colostomy. Further plastic surgery and reconstructive work
have added to a total of about 15 operations in three years.
In between surgery I’ve returned to work as a teacher and learned to
respect life more than ever. I try to squeeze the pips out of every single
day and experience.
I’ve always enjoyed the best of relationships with my wife, Sandra,
children, Dewi and Rhian, and daughter-in-law, Kelly who’s my third child.
Having to watch is often harder than having to heal and now I cherish
them like never before. Watching them thrive is my daily delight.
Others who’ve developed NF haven’t been so lucky and as a family we
grieve for them:
Sometimes we live,
Sometimes we die,
Sometimes we cry.
Van Morrison
Dic
