I stay in a camper to be close to my injured son
#brain injury #diabetes #minimally conscious #Isle of Man #Liverpool care home #camper van #fundraising #family support
📌 Key Takeaways
- Jo Dunne lives in a camper van near a Liverpool care home to be close to her son Ethan
- Ethan suffered severe brain damage due to diabetes and is in a minimally conscious state
- The family is raising funds to modify their home to bring Ethan back to the Isle of Man
- Despite medical challenges, the family believes being home will maximize Ethan's recovery
- The community in Liverpool has provided support to the Dunne family during their difficult situation
📖 Full Retelling
Jo Dunne, mother of 28-year-old Ethan Richardson who suffered severe brain damage due to diabetes, has been sleeping in a camper van in the care home car park in Liverpool to be close to her son while he receives treatment, as the family works to bring him back to their Isle of Man home following life-changing injuries sustained in September 2024. Ethan Richardson was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 14 and suffered a severe brain injury as a result of his condition, leaving him in intensive care at Noble's Hospital before being transferred to the Sid Watkins Rehabilitation Centre in Liverpool on December 23, 2024. Following an assessment period, he was diagnosed as 'minimally conscious negative,' showing partial conscious awareness inconsistently. The Dunne family, originally planning to return home by January 2025, adapted their approach when the extended care timeline became apparent, with Jo explaining that living in the camper reduces costs while keeping her close to Ethan in case of emergencies. Despite the challenges of living in the camper van, Jo has found support from the Liverpool community, with local establishments like the library assisting with tasks like laundry, as the family raises over £24,000 through a fundraising appeal to support home modifications needed for Ethan's return.
🏷️ Themes
Family Care, Medical Recovery, Community Support
📚 Related People & Topics
Isle of Man
Self-governing British Crown dependency in the Irish Sea
The Isle of Man (Manx: Mannin [ˈmanɪnʲ], also Ellan Vannin [ˈɛlʲan ˈvanɪnʲ]), or simply Mann ( man), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Governo...
Entity Intersection Graph
No entity connections available yet for this article.
Mentioned Entities
Original Source
'I stay in a camper to be close to my injured son' 11 hours ago Share Save Catherine Nicoll Isle of Man Share Save The mother of a man who suffered severe brain damage due to diabetes says she wants to "create happy memories" by bringing him home to be close to his family on the Isle of Man. Jo Dunne has been spending several days each week sleeping in a camper van in the car park of a Liverpool care home to be near her son, Ethan Richardson. She said the family planned to make conversions to their home in the south of the island to enable the 28-year-old, who is father to a young son, to be "back in his own surroundings, with his family around him". Ethan, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 14 , suffered a severe brain injury as a result of the condition in September 2024, which left him in intensive care at Noble's Hospital. After showing signs of wakefulness, he was transferred to the Sid Watkins Rehabilitation Centre in Liverpool on 23 December that year. Following an intense assessment period, he was diagnosed as being "minimally conscious negative" – where patients show signs of partial conscious awareness inconsistently. Ethan remained at the facility until September 2025 before being moved to a neurological care home while an extensive second independent assessment was carried out. Jo said: "We never anticipated we'd be in the UK for this length of time, we were envisaging we'd be back home at the end of January. "So in February I said to Paul [her husband], bring the camper." "It would reduce the cost of accommodation, but it would also put me on site if there was an issue, it would be close by to Ethan," she said. "At least in the car park, I knew that there was CCTV, it was floodlit, and they had security, and that was a bonus." Jo said, despite the challenges of living in the camper, the community of Liverpool had been "fantastic". "They really have scooped us up, the local library did my washing for me." Jo said the family was now lear...
Read full article at source