Mike Corkill has already done the Christmas shopping for his five children – whether or not he’ll be around to watch them open their presents is far from certain though.
Doctors have said he may not live that long.
Mike, 44, has a pulmonary arterial hypertension, which basically means the arteries in his lungs are closing and not enough blood is pumped to the rest of his body. It killed his birth mother and grandfather and doctors say unless he has a lung transplant it will kill him as well.
But Mike isn’t eligible for a lung transplant in New Zealand because one out of seven patients who have the surgery end up having kidney problems, which means living on dialysis. Because lung donors are so rare, New Zealand doctors will only give them to patients who will have a certain “high quality of life” after the operation.
Outside of New Zealand, Mike can go to Australia for the operation but the cost is $350,000, or India at a cost of $100,000. He says he’s determined to do anything to live so he can watch his kids grow up, including the youngest who is just nine years old and the operation still gives him a six out of seven chance of living a happy and longer life. “It’s gut-wrenching. I want to be able to go to their 21st birthdays, weddings, watch them have children of their own. I want to take them camping and kick a soccer ball with them. But I can’t.”
So he’s calling on Nelson.
Mike was a labourer and keen tennis player before his condition forced him from his job and admits he knows nothing about raising money, let alone $100,000. “I’m out of my depth here, I love my kids. I want to do the best thing by them and I want to live. But I need help.”
He is hoping people may be able to come forward with ideas for fundraisers, or even donate some money into a bank account he set up just last week. “I’m keen to hear from anyone. Someone mentioned a charity dinner but I don’t know how to go about it.”
If Mike – who has never smoked – can raise the money, he’ll fly to India where the hospital and doctors are world-class and have been vetted by his local doctors. The reason it’s cheaper is because there are simply more donors and the associated costs are less. Mike says he’s done his research and the Indian hospital checks out.
He doesn’t have much time though and the stress and strain on the faces of his mother, wife and children are obvious. His wife Julie-Ann says it’s been difficult dealing with Mike’s health as he needs to be breathing through an oxygen machine 16 hours a day. Mike isn’t giving up though and is planning a fishing trip with his kids during the school holidays. “I want to cram as much in as possible.”
If you’d like to donate to Mike’s operation his bank account details are: 38-9006-0093683-03.
If you’d like to get in touch with Mike about a fundraising idea, his email address is [email protected].
