Father has 'no regret' over helping brothers, despite spine injury that will cost $85k to fix
Kia ora neighbours. Reece Leitch just wants to play with his young daughters, but a back injury – that will cost around $85,000 to fix – has left him unable to be as involved in their playtime as he once was.
The 27-year-old, from Hillcrest first started having back problems at 10 years old, when he started helping to care for his older brothers, Ryan and Blake, who have muscular dystrophy.
As the only able-bodied man in his family, Leitch would do a lot of the physically demanding tasks, including lifting his brothers in and out of their wheelchairs, beds and the bathroom.
“There’s no doubt, or regret, that looking after my brothers from a young age had an effect on the health of my spine,” he said.
After suffering two slipped discs last year, Leitch is now reliant on medication for his “constant pain”.
Leitch needs disc replacement surgery, but ACC will no longer fund his treatment.
He’s now taking his bid for treatment overseas and hopes a purpose-built spine clinic in Germany will be able to fix his back and get him playing with his daughters and playing sports again.
Click 'read more' for our full story.
If you'd like to make a donation towards Leitch's surgery, you can do so here: givealittle.co.nz...
Calling All Puzzle Masters! Can You Solve This?
When John was six years old he hammered a nail into his favorite tree to mark his height.
Ten years later at age sixteen, John returned to see how much higher the nail was.
If the tree grew by five centimetres each year, how much higher would the nail be?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we are having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Loading…
