Trainee bricklayer Luke was just 17 years old and in the second year of a bricklaying course at Otley College when he suffered an aneurysm known as an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in January 2020. This is a tangle of blood vessels that irregularly connects arteries and veins and disrupts blood flow and oxygen circulation. Although the cause of AWMs is unknown, they are thought to affect less than 1% of the population.

Luke was at his girlfriend’s house at the time, and David and Karen were blue-lighted to the hospital in Ipswich – where they were told that his chances of survival were not good, as the team of clinicians were initially wondering whether anything could be done to help Luke.

He was sedated and transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, where he underwent life-saving surgery to release the pressure to his brain.

Luke has been left with profound disabilities, which require constant care. He is peg fed and double incontinent. He is now able to move one leg and one of his arms, and although he cannot speak, he communicates by blinking and raising his eyebrows, as well as using an alphabet chart to spell out words.

Following the surgery, he was moved back to Ipswich Hospital – but the introduction of COVID restrictions made it very difficult for the family to visit Luke, and this was a very stressful and difficult time for the family.

Luke has since been transferred to a rehabilitation centre in Norwich – and from there, he was moved to the Sue Ryder Neurological Care Centre The Chantry in Ipswich in January last year, where he receives specialist neurological care.

The easing of restrictions has meant the family can visit much more frequently, and Luke is much happier.

In November, the family contacted their local media in a bid to raise the money for a ground-floor extension so that they could get Luke home for Christmas 2023.

The family home in Woodbridge needs extensive renovations to create a wet room and two bedrooms on the ground floor for Luke and a live-in carer.

The extension is on track to start in early June and is expected to take around four weeks. Band of Builders is appealing for plant workers, bricklayers, builders, roofers, plumbers, electricians, decorators and other tradespeople to volunteer their time to help on the project.

When:

3rd June - 1st July 2023

Where:

The location of Luke’s project is Woodbridge, Suffolk

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