Instinct and the power of love...

Instinct and the power of love...

Instinct and the power of love...
GBE2 Blog on:

It is just over 72 hours since my daughter Andrea was rushed into Hutt Hospital here in the Hutt Valley, just outside of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand.

She totally lacked physical control of her body, and I won't describe her many associated problems in detail here, but her eyes saw nothing and her limbs just thrashed uncontrollably. She was taken to Accident and Emergency by ambulance late in the afternoon after a 111 call was made.

We, her immediate family members: parents, siblings, aunts,uncle and cousins, rapidly made our way to the A&E Department. The emergency personnel quickly moved to assess her and gained as many details as possible. She had apparentyl been unwell for a number of days but her family believed it was a severe case of influenza. She should have received medical attention earlier.

After a medical assessment it was believed she had a bad infection, immune system problems and possibly some problems with her brain. She was sent upstairs for a number of scans, including an MRI scan, and moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). They suspected encephalitus, or inflammation of her brain, and were carrying out numerous tests to determine just what the cause was of her infection.

Many family members were now waiting in the family room outside the ICU. They came from the local Lower Hutt and nearby Upper Hutt cities.

Andrea's instinct for survival was now being tested. Being only 40 years old she was young and strong enough to fight the attacks on her body and system. She had been given anti-biotics and other drugs. She was put into an induced coma to allow her to rest and for the medication to do its work. She had been put on a ventilator to enable her to breathe. Some tests made were sent to Australia by email, and would be analysed within two or three hours and sent back also by email.

A telephone call was made to her 16 year old son in Melbourne, who is a recruit for the Melbourne Storm NRL (professional rugby league) club. The club organised a flight back to New Zealand, and he was expected home late the following day. Pride who is a talented young player with great future potential is schooled just outside Melbourne and lives close by.

Pride arrived in NZ after 11-30 pm, and made his way to the hospital at 1am the following morning. When he saw his mother he whispered in her ear, telling his mother, "Hi Mum, its Pride here." The effect was apparently almost instantaneous; she opened her eyes and spoke to him. This was her first reaction since being brought into hospital. Her eldest daughter, Danielle, was there to witness the transformation in her mother's condition. She rang and told us that her Mum had come back to them. We were all so relieved to learn this fantastic news.

You can believe what you like. "Was it the power of God, the power of a son's love for his mother, or a combination of both?"

Pride(on the right)
Andrea is now recovering. She can talk, albeit softly, has walked a little and is making demands on her family. I saw her yesterday, and witnessed for myself her transformation from that almost uncontrollable person of a couple of days before. She has an inner strength and a powerful instinct for survival, and the powerful love of her son and other children and family.

She is in isolation still in a medical ward of the hospital. They have still to determine just what infection she has. Tomorrow is another day, another dawn in her recovery.

But her instinct for survival and the love of her son who has been away in Australia and has returned to her, gave her that inner strength to overcome the attacks on her immune system and body.

He will return to Australia only when he knows she is on the road to recovery. While she has badly missed him, she understands that his future at present lies in Australia and with his education and the Melbourne Storm club.

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