09-03-2024, 02:21 PM
Our health system needs fixing. This family have had to set up a give a little page.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/society/35020323...knock-head
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In Nykala Garrett’s world, it’s when she wakes up that the nightmare begins.
A few months ago she was a busy mum of a blended family of five, working as a nurse and enjoying life with her partner Rikki Tako.
Then Tako, 32, was hit on the head with the hook end of a crane in a workplace accident.
They thought he had concussion. It was tough, but manageable.
Except two weeks before Christmas everything changed and life would never be the same.
Tests showed Tako had a fast growing and aggressive cancer known as a brain stem glioblastoma. It was likely the young father had only a few months left to live.
Glioblastoma can cause headaches, a loss of balance, weakness on one side of the face and difficulty walking. It grows quickly, destroying healthy tissue as it does. It can be treated but it cannot be cured.
Heartbreakingly, the tumour was always there but probably wouldn’t have become a problem until he was in his 50s or 60s. It was the workplace accident that caused the cell dysfunction that led to its rapid growth.
Because Garrett is “able bodied”, she says the family isn’t eligible for a carer to look after Tako.
“They want me to be Rikki’s 24/7 carer and look after the five kids, do the housework, and everything on my own. I said to them the math isn’t mathing.”
Not only does she not have enough hours in the day, the family is now under massive financial strain having lost both Tako’s and Garrett’s incomes.
She has tried every avenue to get help for the family, but there isn’t anything available, she says.
“We had an assessment from community support services at the hospital. They offered me 15 days funding.”
But Garrett hasn’t seen any of that funding and it’s less than the minimum wage anyway.
She currently gets a supported living payment and an accommodation allowance from WINZ, which she is grateful for.
But after they’ve paid their weekly rent of $700, done the groceries and paid the household bills there’s almost nothing left for the family to be able to enjoy their last days with Tako without stress.
The financial stress just adds to what is already a difficult situation, Garrett says. They wished there was more financial help that was easily accessible for people in their situation.
As for Tako, he says he’s “all good”. He’s just taking it one day at a time.
“But I didn’t realise you had to be rich to have cancer.”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/society/35020323...knock-head
'
In Nykala Garrett’s world, it’s when she wakes up that the nightmare begins.
A few months ago she was a busy mum of a blended family of five, working as a nurse and enjoying life with her partner Rikki Tako.
Then Tako, 32, was hit on the head with the hook end of a crane in a workplace accident.
They thought he had concussion. It was tough, but manageable.
Except two weeks before Christmas everything changed and life would never be the same.
Tests showed Tako had a fast growing and aggressive cancer known as a brain stem glioblastoma. It was likely the young father had only a few months left to live.
Glioblastoma can cause headaches, a loss of balance, weakness on one side of the face and difficulty walking. It grows quickly, destroying healthy tissue as it does. It can be treated but it cannot be cured.
Heartbreakingly, the tumour was always there but probably wouldn’t have become a problem until he was in his 50s or 60s. It was the workplace accident that caused the cell dysfunction that led to its rapid growth.
Because Garrett is “able bodied”, she says the family isn’t eligible for a carer to look after Tako.
“They want me to be Rikki’s 24/7 carer and look after the five kids, do the housework, and everything on my own. I said to them the math isn’t mathing.”
Not only does she not have enough hours in the day, the family is now under massive financial strain having lost both Tako’s and Garrett’s incomes.
She has tried every avenue to get help for the family, but there isn’t anything available, she says.
“We had an assessment from community support services at the hospital. They offered me 15 days funding.”
But Garrett hasn’t seen any of that funding and it’s less than the minimum wage anyway.
She currently gets a supported living payment and an accommodation allowance from WINZ, which she is grateful for.
But after they’ve paid their weekly rent of $700, done the groceries and paid the household bills there’s almost nothing left for the family to be able to enjoy their last days with Tako without stress.
The financial stress just adds to what is already a difficult situation, Garrett says. They wished there was more financial help that was easily accessible for people in their situation.
As for Tako, he says he’s “all good”. He’s just taking it one day at a time.
“But I didn’t realise you had to be rich to have cancer.”
in order to be old & wise, you must first be young & stupid. (I'm still working on that.)
