“I just want to do things with my son again” – Hot Cares steps in for a local father

Imagine being woken in the early hours of the morning by your partner screaming for help.

That’s the moment Chantelle found her husband, Shane, lying on the floor beside their bed — in agony, unable to move, unable to feel his leg.

Back in early 2025, within hours of that moment, he was rushed to hospital. What followed was a rapid and terrifying decline. Shane went into kidney failure. His body began shutting down. Doctors worked desperately to understand what was happening — but even now, there are still no clear answers as to what caused it.

As his condition worsened, Shane was placed in an induced coma.

And then came the moment that would change everything.

Chantelle was handed a decision no one should ever have to make — to give permission for her husband’s leg to be amputated in order to save his life.

“They said if they don’t amputate… he won’t live.”

There was no time to process. No way to speak to Shane. No certainty about what the future would look like.

“I had to sign the forms… not knowing if he would wake up.”

When he did wake up, everything had changed.

“I woke up in hospital… and my leg was amputated.”

“It was a big shock… but I’m just so grateful that I’m still here.”

Survival came at a cost.

Back home, the reality began to settle in. Without a prosthetic leg, Shane couldn’t return to work as a qualified lift technician. The family lost their income. Everyday tasks became difficult — even impossible at times.

For Chantelle, the weight of it all stretched far beyond that single decision. As a partner, a mother to their teenage son, and now the one holding everything together, the emotional and financial strain has been immense.

And for Shane, one thing matters more than anything else.

“I just want to do things with my son again.”

A prosthetic leg wasn’t just a medical need — it was the key to restoring independence, dignity, and the chance to rebuild their lives.

And that’s where Hot Cares stepped in.

By funding Shane’s prosthetic leg, Hot Cares has helped turn a moment of unimaginable trauma into a path forward — giving him the opportunity to walk, to work, and to be present in the life of his family again.

“It’ll change our lives completely… I’ll be able to work again.”

Because sometimes, the most meaningful difference comes after the moment you never saw coming.