Kiwi teacher badly hurt in mower blast
A teacher who has dedicated her life to helping disabled kids is fighting for her life in hospital after a lawnmower exploded in her face in Rarotonga.
Former Wellington woman Nikki Delaney, 31, suffered such severe injuries she had to be airlifted in an induced coma from the Cook Islands to Middlemore Hospital at her family’s expense on Saturday.
She is now in an induced coma on life support to help her breathe because her neck is so swollen it is blocking her airway – but small signs of improvement overnight have buoyed her family’s hopes that she will recover.
Delaney had been mowing the lawn at her home in Rarotonga on Thursday when the lawnmower caught fire and exploded.
She was taken to hospital in Rarotonga, but the hospital’s staff were unable to properly treat her injuries, which include third degree burns to her hands, chest, neck, and face.
‘‘All they could do in Rarotonga was preserve what was there,’’ said brother Jordan Delaney.
Delaney was evacuated to the burns unit at Middlemore Hospital by air on Saturday morning where she arrived after an eight-hour flight.
Surgery planned for Sunday would allow surgeons to assess the seriousness of her condition and prepare for possible skin grafts, her brother said on Sunday morning. ‘‘Nikki will be going back into theatre today for her third surgery. The surgeons will look at skin grafts for her hands and chest.’’
On Saturday, for the first time since the accident, doctors began gradually bringing Delaney out of her induced coma.
She made some small responses to voices and had begun to move her arms and legs, Jordan Delaney said: ‘‘It takes a couple of days to come out of it [the coma]. Over the next 48 hours we’re hoping she’ll be in a state of semi consciousness, although still painkillers.’’
A specialist had also cleared her eyesight, meaning once awake she should be able to see.
‘‘Everyone is staying positive. A family friend had loaned the Delaney family a ‘‘substantial amount’’ to cover the hefty cost of the air ambulance to Auckland, as the New Zealand Government does not fund medical evacuations.
The family were told the flight would cost at least $58,000 and could hit $100,000 if low-altitude flying was involved.
Jordan Delaney, who travelled to Auckland from Wellington by car on Friday night, said he hoped his sister would be transferred to Wellington Hospital in the next few weeks.
Their parents were expected to arrive in Auckland on Sunday morning.
Jordan Delaney started a Givealittle page to raise the funds when he realised the medical evacuation was not covered by the Government.
Now those same funds were to go towards paying their benefactor back.
He was bewildered by the lack of help from the Government to help with the mammoth cost of repatriating his sister.
The cost of Delaney’s ongoing care will be covered by the public health system.
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