Hi there everyone,

It has been a very busy fortnight, as Matthew needed to have more surgery. This was planned, as part of the preparation for osseointegration, and the bigger operations later this year. This time, he had implants put into his leg stumps, so it was a bit more complicated than his arms. The surgery went well, but required him to be in hospital for a week. This part for the rest of us feels like a bit of a roller-coaster ride, and we’re always a bit nervous while waiting for him to come back from theatre. The operation was around seven hours, so it was a big one. Every time the rest of us get a ‘he’s fine’ text, a small victory lap around whatever room we’re in is now par for the course.

As the surgery was held during school holidays, the kids accompanied Matt and Di, and for a few days prior to the surgery, the family had some time in Melbourne to ‘see the sights’, such as the zoo, aquarium, museum, trams, and all things Melbourne including some AFL. The kids had a wonderful time, and also caught up with our aunt Ruth, who had travelled from New Zealand to meet up with everyone. Thanks to Dad, who drove from Brisbane to leave a car in Melbourne for Di to use, flew back to Brisbane, and then returned to Melbourne to drive the car back to Brisbane. Brings back memories of those driving holidays we had when we were little just thinking about it…

Upon Matthew’s return to Brisbane, he went back into the Mater Rehab here for a few days while he needed to keep any weight off his leg stumps, but is now back at home. Suffice to say, he’s a bit exhausted, but feeling better every day, and enthusiastic about the road ahead.

I am leaving a bit of the technical detail about the operations out of these posts, but please let us know if you want more details, as Matthew is happy to share those aspects of the journey with anyone interested.

Below are some photos of the trip.

At Melbourne Zoo, prior to surgery.

Matthew and the children at Melbourne Zoo.

He’s tired, and just a little bit ‘still green’ after coming back from recovery, but happy to see the kids.

Emily opting to have her nails done rather than play football at an AFL day.

A week later, and he’s still all smiles but feeling much better and happy to share the bed.