Day 119 – 17 Weeks – Zac Drayson

Today, Friday 23^rd September 2022 marks exactly 17 weeks, being 119 days since admission to Gosford Hospital. And for everyone following along this journey with me would know of the 3 major surgeries within a 13-day period.

Surgery 1: amputation of left little toe on Saturday 28^th May 2022, literally the day after admission. Was moved from ED to the Ward on the evening of the 27^th May.

Surgery 2: amputation of left next toe on Tuesday 31^st May 2022, literally 3 days after the first toe amputation. Why are they only taking a toe each surgery? Cause they are trying to save my leg.

Surgery 3: amputation of left leg below the knee. Even though the other 2 surgeries were still classified as major surgeries as they all involved an amputation, this one was the worst and took the longest time to do. This surgery occurred on Monday 6^th June 2022, 6 days after the last toe amputation, they needed to give my body a little time to recover after the first two surgeries, but didn’t want to leave too much time as the infection appeared to be spreading up the leg at a rapid rate.

During the last 119 days there has been many hurdles to overcome. There has been many good and a lot of bad days in between. But the best news came on Tuesday 20^th September 2022 when I was finally given an official housing offer with the address at a location I know well and in the perfect spot to all my needs. The next day a bit of bad news and that is still occurring and I believe will not mend itself anytime soon. But such is life.

Anyway as it is 12.49pm I need to try to get some sleep before my worker arrives later this morning to do several things for me which get done every Friday. And the joy when I move into my forever home in roughly 3 to 4 weeks I can do these things on my own and get some of my independence back which is what I really need after 4 ½ years relying on everyone else.

Zac hails from the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, spends his free time playing computer games such as GTA-V FiveM, Need for Speed Most Wanted (Black Edition), Flight Simulator X, and The Sims 4. He once enjoyed leisurely walks along the beach before his below-knee amputation (BKA) in June 2022. Currently, Zac is on a path to recovery, confronting both physical and mental health challenges arising from a history of abuse, adversity, and prolonged homelessness. With each passing day, he continues to persevere, striving for improvement in his life, and remains resolute in not allowing his past to dictate his future. Zac has a lot of health, both physical and mental which he is currently working on after a long history of abuse, hardship and decades being homeless. Zac continues to get by day by day and is moving forward with his life and is no longer letting anyone hold him back.

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