Dad of two wakes after 30-day coma
A father-of-two is coming back to consciousness after a dirt bike crash left him in a month-long induced coma.
Rangiora man Andy Davis was riding in Omihi with son Sam, 12, on December 10 when he veered off a bank and landed on his back.
He was airlifted to Christchurch Hospital with what initially appeared to be a broken shoulder and ribs.
‘‘They didn’t realise for a few hours how intense the damage is,’’ partner Linda ‘Lou’ Riches said.
Davis has undergone four surgeries in the last month to repair a torn aorta and punctured lungs, plate three ribs and wire his sternum.
His recovery has been fraught with complications – a screw in his sternum came loose, a bad reaction to drugs left him on dialysis and trouble taking out his ventilator led to a tracheotomy – and he remains in intensive care.
Although he was still ‘‘delirious’’, Riches said the family was happy Davis could be taken off sedation for short periods.
It was likely he would need lengthy rehabilitation at Burwood Hospital and might never even be able to return to his job as a mechanic, she said.
‘‘It took eight people to sit him on the side of the bed; that’s how much muscle he’s lost . . . he probably lasted about three minutes.
‘‘I’m sure he will be able to do everything again but it could take months, years. You just don’t know.’’
His hospitalisation over Christmas was tough on Sam and his 8-year-old sister, Layla, who had been ‘‘so strong’’ throughout the ordeal.
‘‘It’s frightening how much you can lose so quickly,’’ Riches said.
A Givealittle page set up by friends to support the family financially through Davis’ rehabilitation had already raised about $5000.
Riches said Davis would be ‘‘quite embarrassed’’ by their efforts, but the family faced ‘‘a long time without a proper income’’.