My name is Carlie (that's me and my Dad in the picture) please read my story below. Me and my sister Hayley are trying to raise money to help get my Dad to New Zealand to visit my brother, his wife and 2 children.

My beloved dad has suffered with back pain almost all of his life, he slipped a disc in his younger years which has caused varying levels of pain. In the past 7 years we have witnessed him change from an active, energetic man, who loves the outdoors to being unable to get out of bed at times due to crippling back pain and muscle spasms, rendering him virtually paralysed by the pain in his back. When he is having a 'good' day he is able to get out and about but is certainly not able to enjoy the things he previously did.

He has missed out on most family gatherings over the past few years, including the wedding of my sister Hayley Webb as he was simply unable to get out of bed through pain, something he wouldn’t have missed in a million years, yet he had to be left at home. He is missing being able to spend time with his family, including his youngest 4-year-old granddaughter as even on good days, a car journey simply cripples him. The time between each ‘bad’ phase is getting shorter, yet the amount of time he spends suffering each time is getting longer.

He has had numerous MRI scans and X-rays which all show that the discs between L5-L1 have completely crumbled meaning the pain is being caused by bone rubbing against bone, as well as the muscle spasms which are so severe they reduce him to tears.

The NHS have also advised that copies of his scans have been sent to every spinal surgeon within the UK and no one is prepared to operate as nothing can be done to help, the chance of him being fully paralysed is around 75% and a chance that no surgeon is willing to take. Even with the 25% chance of success, there is another high chance that he won’t make it through surgery at all. I cannot help but feel deeply saddened that he is now being expected to suffer with this pain for the remainder of his life, if he were any animal it would be deemed cruel and unfair to allow suffering to continue, but as a human being this is seen as acceptable.

I am terrified what the future holds for him and the state of his mental health, he is deeply depressed due to continuous and unbearable pain. We are having to witness a once strong, independent man reduced to utter heart-breaking screams and tears because there are apparently no options left available through the NHS for him. I also have concerns for the wellbeing of my mum who needs to work full time in order to pay the necessary bills and also being my dad’s primary care giver, they do receive a small amount of financial support in the form of attendance allowance but it's not huge and certainly doesn't afford them any luxuries as such.

He has recently been told he has a high chance of losing his sight due to high pressure in his eyes, I know he is desperate to visit my brother and his family in New Zealand as it’s likely the last chance he’ll get. Whilst we can get them there on economy tickets, the journey will be unbearable for him as he needs to be laid down due to his back problems. This is why I have created this page, I’m hoping to raise enough to upgrade both my parents to business class so that he can travel comfortably without worry that on arriving he’ll be bed bound for the duration of their stay. I also want to give them this chance in the event that his sight is lost so that he can see his son and grandchildren. If you can help it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for reading x

#getdadtoNZ #familyreunion