Community and Oral Health

'Big Jon' is a familiar face at TPCH, having spent several weeks in a coma at TPCH in 2011 after a blister on his foot developed into sepsis. He would then go on to be diagnosed with a rare neurological issue, causing muscle weakness and loss of mobility.

Over the past 15 years, Jon has visited the hospital many times for support, admitting Charlie's is like a second home. He's been hospitalised more than 400 times and now visits once a fortnight for treatment.

“What CIDP is, it’s an autoimmune disease that my body is fighting and trying to attack my nervous system. So, a good way of explaining it is like a jug cord. That cord’s got wires inside. Well, that’s your nerves. The plastic around would be the myelin sheath. So essentially, my immune system is trying to eat the plastic around the wires to get to the nerves," Jon said, explaining his condition.

"And that’s what my body’s doing right now… So, unfortunately, with the CIDP, your protective layer around the nerves is damaged and the treatment to slow the condition means I’m more susceptible to infection,” he added.

Jon is an ambassador for tomorrow's The Prince Charles Hospital Giving Day through The Common Good Au, raising funds for research and patient care initiatives at TPCH. You can find out more via the link below:
www.thecommongood.org.au/40-years-of-the-prince-charles-hospital-foundation/40-stories-for-40-yea... ... See MoreSee Less

"I had a scan in February and found out I had cancer in my oesophagus; I had to see the specialist here at the Royal Brisbane and then I had to have chemotherapy at the hospital in Hervey Bay. Once I finished the chemotherapy, I had six weeks off and then I came here and I had an operation to cut the cancer out of my oesophagus. I was here recovering for about 11 weeks and then I was on the train back to Gayndah, where I'm from. When I got back, I wasn't feeling good, so I called the ambulance and had to come back to the hospital on the plane and now I am here for another operation. I am usually in a caravan travelling around the countryside, but I took on a job as being a caretaker and that is what I was doing before I fell ill. You just have to take one step at a time, that is all I can say."

💭 Monday Mantra, Leo, RBWH Ward 9A South Patient ... See MoreSee Less