I'm fundraising in honour of my dad

By Tamara 

My much-loved dad, Donnie, unexpectedly passed away from a stroke in late 2020. 

My dad was larger-than-life. He was always up for a laugh, even if he was the butt of the joke. His catch phrase was 'who we bagging!' Most of the time we were teasing him for something silly he had done. My aunty says he was the dumbest smart person she knew! 

Kevin and Donnie

Dad was a renowned basketball coach throughout his life. The thing he was most passionate about was helping people wherever he could. He'd give people a place to stay, or a meal, or coach young people to be the best basketball players they could be.  

He was one of 12 children, with six sisters and five brothers. Although he could push your last button, you couldn't stay mad at him for long, because he was so damn lovable. He cherished my brother and I and would do anything for us. He adored his granddaughter, Everleigh, and our Mum, Meri. 

The day he had the stroke, we were away in Hervey Bay for Father's Day. It was such a special day, because it was my brother's first.  

Dad seemed fine, he had lunch with Mum and some friends.  

After lunch he took off to see his best mate. He never made it.  

He was found outside of Kevin's place, swearing in pain, lying on his side on the ground in the hot sun. It was thought he'd hurt his back again, so he wasn't moved. An ambulance was called, but as he was out of town it took a bit of time for the paramedics to come. 

When mum arrived, he was in so much pain that they turned him over. He felt more comfortable, but they could now see that his face had drooped, and he couldn't speak. Kevin's wife Gail immediately recognised that he was having a stroke. They instantly called 000 again to upgrade the call from a fall to a stroke! 

That night in the hospital he tried to communicate with the doctors and our family, but could only say two words, 'f&#k' and 'Mer' - Mum's nickname.  

He could not move the right side of his body at all, but would still have a laugh at the jokes we were telling him. He was very scared and irritated about not being able to express what he wanted to say. 

Donnie in Hervey Bay Hospital with his granddaughter, Everliegh

He spent two days in the Hervey Bay hospital and was then helicoptered to the Royal Brisbane Hospital. He battled that bleed in his brain for 20 days, but he never woke up from the induced coma he was placed in to be medivacked. 

Due to his catastrophic injuries, we made the impossible decision to take him off life-support. When the doctors took him off the machines, they said he would pass within an hour. But in true Donnie form, he went on his own terms five days later.  
 
In a loving, 'bagging' way, I would call him a cockroach, because you could never get rid of him. He had beaten prostate cancer twice, and broken his femur, and he had melioidosis and cirrhosis of the liver, but stroke was what took him. 

I am immensely proud of the 20 days of fight that he gave; I know he was doing everything he could to come back to us. 

This is why I am fundraising for stroke by giving up alcohol in May. I am now more familiar with the risk factors for stroke, and I want people to see me making a change. I hope to demonstrate that you can give up alcohol for a good cause, and for the many health benefits that come with it.   

My dad had some issues with his health, but we didn't see stroke coming – he hadn't had a sip of alcohol in 16 years, and his blood pressure was spot on. We wonder if we'd got to him sooner would he have survived. 

A stroke happens in this country every 19 minutes, many people survive, and many people like my dad don't. 

The family. Mer, Grandad, Tamara, Grandma, Jarrod and Donnie

Tamara is fundraising in the memory of her dad Donnie. Please support her efforts here.