Photo: Deborah Hardy/Go Fund Me
For the last three months, Craig Hardy, a 52-year-old father of three, has been unable to move, speak or breathe on his own after coming down with a rare neurological disorder when he returned from a visit to Indonesia.
“He’s lying there awake but he’s not able to move,” Craig’s sister-in-law, Deborah Hardy, toldnews.com.au. “His mind his 100 percent perfect but he’s trapped; it’s like being buried alive.”
The ordeal began in June, a day after Craig returned from Bali to his home in Austrailia and experienced an upset stomach, whichcommonly happens to travelerswho visit the popular Indonesian island. But Craig’s symptoms continued to worsen, and as he drove himself to a local hospital to get medical attention, he began to lose control of his body.
Doctors discovered Craig’s organs were shutting down, and placed the “hard-working family man” on a ventilator to help him breathe. They later performed a tracheotomy.
Craig’s wife, Megan, and their teenage children — Aimee, Tayla and Haydn — were soon told he had Guillain-Barré syndrome, a neurological disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the peripheral nervous system, which affects about one in 100,000 people a year.
As of today, Craig can only lightly move his face and neck.
“Every now and again he gets the feeling he is drowning because of the fluid on his lungs which they have to pump out,” Deborah toldnews.com.au. “But he can’t say anything.”
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There is no known cure for Guillain-Barré syndrome, but, fortunately, some 70 percent of patients make a full recovery weeks or months after diagnosis. According tonews.com.au, doctors believe it may take two years for Craig to regain some of his abilities.
“He’s a hard-working, dedicated family man,” Deborah said. “He’d do anything for anyone, he’s very funny, a strong man, hence his nickname ‘Rock,’ but a heart of gold.”
The family’sdonation pageto raise money for Craig’s care has raised nearly $10,000 of its $100,000 goal.
source: people.com
