Rare disease turns him to stone
An Auckland man whose body is turning to stone says he is ‘‘amazed’’ at New Zealanders’ response to his story.
Callan Fabian suffers from scleroderma, an incurable autoimmune disease that hardens the skin and, in severe cases, the internal organs.
The 44-year-old’s joints are now locked in place, he cannot roll over without help, and he is nearing the end of his life.
Fabian spoke to Stuff on November 13 in an effort to raise awareness of the disease and encourage others to get regular health checks.
‘‘It’s peace of mind and it doesn’t leave you wondering why.’’ The next day, he said he had been blown away by the attention he had received and hoped people had taken his message to heart.
‘‘It’s important you go and see a doctor with any problem.’’ Fabian is a resident at Terence Kennedy House, a rest home in Glen Eden, West Auckland.
Scleroderma Auckland, a notfor-profit group that supported those with the disease, had set up a Givealittle page to assist with his day-to-day living costs.
Those included the fees for an ambulance to take him to and from hospital for appointments, as he was in too much pain to sit in a car, the group said.
He is cared for by a volunteer, Ray Farrell, who has been ‘‘dip[ping] into his own pocket’’ to help meet those costs, it said.
At the time of print, more than $21,000 had been donated through the Givealittle page.
Fabian said that was ‘‘amazing’’ and it would ‘‘really, really help out’’.
He was looking forward to being able to hire a wheelchair taxi to go to the hairdresser, which he had not done in a long time. ‘‘I want to feel good [with] my hair.’’ He was also hoping to be able to give his mother some petrol vouchers so he could see her more often.
The retiree lives about 85km away in Kaipara Flats and struggles with the cost of travel to and from West Auckland. Mostly, though, ‘‘it’s not the money to me, it’s the message’’, Fabian said. He wanted to encourage Kiwis to be kind to each other and cherish every moment they had.
‘‘Every day is a bonus. Every breath we wake up and take ... that’s a bonus,’’ he said.