The Dodd Story

Newlyweds Megan and Paul Dodd were on their honeymoon in Europe when tragedy struck, Christmas Day last year. When a time-delayed light went out early, Paul slipped down 5 stairs hitting his head as he fell. Sustaining an unbe-lievably traumatic brain injury, Paul was not expected to survive the night.

“When we arrived at the hospital the doctor after assessing Paul and conducting a CT Scan determined that they would have the operate immediately to relieve the pressure in Pauls head by removing a piece of skull. They took Paul for a second CT Scan post operation and it was then determined that they needed to go back to surgery to remove another piece of skull from the other side to relive some pressure there.” His bride, Megan Dodd said. After the operations Paul was taken to intensive care where for the next 3 days Megan stayed at his side waiting for their families to arrive from Australia.

It was the fairy tale love story, meeting online through the dating website RSVP and in only a short time they knew that they were meant to be together. “Within about 2 hours of talking to him I knew it was something special. After that night we only ever spent about 5 nights apart in three years.” Ms Dodd said. Within 18 months they were engaged, and were married on the 1st of December last year. The newlyweds were planning to start a family as soon as possible.

       

As Paul’s condition continued to improve enough for him to be deemed generally well enough to fly, Megan was able to engage the travel insurance company to start the process of planning the trip home. The couple arrived home on the 21st February, 2008 where Paul was immediately taken by ambulance from the airport to Royal Brisbane Hospital where he still remains today.

Now fifteen months on from the accident Paul is in a stable condition but his injuries are so severe that it has left his ability to take care of himself and communicate at almost 0%. “There have been no real measurable developments in over a year in terms of Paul’s cognitive abilities and we are told by Neurosurgeons that judging by his scans we should not expect any more developments in the future.”

Megan finding strength in her time of need set up The Dodd Foundation to assist other individuals and families affected by ABI both financially and emotionally, sharing what she has endured over the last year and becoming an advocate for others.  She is making it her life’s work to change the system to help sufferers of ABI.

“We all need to be aware that it could happen to us at anytime and we need to make our system recognise the need for quality resources and support for ABI’s victims. In many cases these people are innocent victims of bad luck and it is our duty to support them and their families.” Megan says.

With no facility able to care for young ABI sufferers, most are forced into aged care facilities due to the level of constant care they require.

“There are no age appropriate facilities available for Paul, nor are there programs available which would aid us in bringing Paul home to be cared for in his own home. The only option for Paul, given the nature of his injuries is to go to an aged care facility. Even at this level of care, it is difficult to find facilities that will take Paul or are able to service his ongoing needs.”

“We are required to have Paul registered on five aged care facility waiting lists, and what is contributing to the difficulty in narrowing these facilities down is that not all of them have a specifically trained nurse needed to care for Paul’s complex needs. Also because Paul is a young man, these facilities are rightly concerned that they will not be able to provide the appropriate lifestyle for him.” says Megan.

“It is my mission to make the Foundation a fantastic resource to help and support families affected by ABI, by putting them in touch with people who can answer their questions, guiding families to find suitable accommodation for their loved ones and acting as an advocate, lobbying the government for dramatic change so loved ones don’t fall through the cracks.” Ms Dodd said.

In the year ahead The Dodd Foundation will be focusing on education and the prevention of ABI, taking the stance that prevention is the cure.