Ill dad lights up at sight of daughter
27-year-old flown from Fiji knows he’s home, says friend
Critically-ill Napier father Jarred Thompson has been reunited with his young daughter in touching scenes at Auckland City Hospital. The 27-year-old was medically evacuated from Fiji to Auckland on Tuesday night and was rushed to Auckland City Hospital after a sudden illness derailed his planned onemonth holiday.
Thompson had been celebrating the news that he was in remission after going through cancer treatment for the past year when his health took a turn.
Six-year-old Maddison Thompson made the trip with her mother Shannon Story from Napier to Auckland on Tuesday.
“He didn’t take his eyes off his daughter last night. It was beautiful,” said close friend and caregiver Thomas Brook, who was in Fiji with Thompson.
“You could tell he was very happy when we got [to the hospital] and he saw his daughter. He just wanted kisses and kept pulling the kiss face.”
Brook said Thompson was a “little bit more coherent” and his eyes were open more on Wednesday.
“He knows he’s home and help is on the way. From my perspective, he looks a lot better.”
Thompson was admitted to Lautoka Hospital last Thursday after what started as a headache quickly turned into a “potentially lifethreatening condition” as pressure built on his brain.
Fijian doctors said they would only offer palliative care and suggested he be brought back home for treatment.
Friends and family, as well as the wider community, rallied behind him and raised the more than $27,000 required for his medical evacuation through a Givealittle page.
Brook said it “is absolutely more optimistic than what the doctors had said in Fiji”.
He said it was too early to say what was wrong with him. An MRI booked for yesterday was hoped to give more detailed understanding of what was happening.
Thompson is regarded as a “warrior” in the eyes of his loved ones.
“There are not many people that could have hung on as strong as Jarred has . . . against all odds we will get through this.
“Look how far we have come, from being in a country with no money to have raised $35,000 and got over here . . . touched a lot of hearts, and received so many prayers.
“We feel in our hearts that it wasn’t for nothing. There is a reason we are here and we are going to receive help and Jarred is going to be okay.”
There were concerns over taking him on a commercial plane, as it was a lot more risky. But Brook said the flight “could not have gone smoother”.
“I was praying the whole time for guardian angels to protect Jarred. There are so many things that have happened that are just guided by the divine . . . guided by God’s hand.”