Fisherman needs braces to beat ‘the bends’

Twenty-three-year-old fisherman Andre Daley is fighting to reclaim his independence after being struck by decompression sickness -- commonly called 'the bends' -- a condition that left him paralysed last September.

Now undergoing rehabilitation, Daley says he has made meaningful strides, but his progress has slowed due to an urgent need for specialised foot braces.

"I'm recovering, but mi foot dem, when the doctors straighten them out, dem bend back," he explained. "The brace, they say, is to keep it straight."

Decompression sickness typically occurs when divers ascend too quickly from deep waters, causing nitrogen absorbed in the body to form dangerous bubbles in the bloodstream and tissues.

Daley, who hails from Port Henderson, Portmore, St Catherine, described the sensation as unsettling.

"I can sometimes feel the bubbles in my back, it just feel like something a crawl on my skin, a so it feel just on the inside," Daley said.

First featured in THE STAR in January, Daley was admitted to the Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre in St Andrew in February. At the time, he struggled to see a path forward. Today, he says his outlook has changed.

"Right now mi reach far far in recovery," he said. "Mi can come out a mi bed go in my wheelchair, [and] go bathroom bathe," he shared, explaining that he now relies heavily on his upper-body strength.

"Mi hands dem strong now, mi can ease up on them and move from chair to bed or from chair to chair to go around," he shared.

After more than a month of consistent therapy, Daley acknowledged steady improvement but admitted that financial challenges are affecting his progress.

"Whenever them straight out my foot, dem just a draw up back. The doctors told me that I need to get the brace to see more progress," he said.

Medical doctor Joseph Wilson explained that Daley's recovery depends on maintaining muscle strength and minimising spasms.

"Once he has power in the leg and is in physical therapy, this minimise the spasm to help his knee joints to be stable," Wilson said.

"If it's a case that he has weakness as opposed to total paralysis, he can now attempt standing and then as he progress it helps with walking," he added.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding his future - including whether he will return to the sea - Daley remains focused on recovery and motivated by the hope of reuniting with his infant daughter.

"My daughter can't see me because she's too young for visiting here, but the process just a start now, so I am just trying to see how far I can recover between now and July," he said. "I just have my mind on the recovery now," he added.