After losing his hands and feet to meningococcal septicaemia, a 53-year-old father-of-three is desperately trying to raise money so he can hold his wife’s hand again.
Brisbane man Johaan Kaa thought he had ‘man flu’ in June 2014, but just one day later, he was being rushed to hospital as his body turned black.
After he was admitted, his wife Phillipa was told her husband of 31 years would not survive more than 48 hours as doctors struggled to diagnose his illness, The Courier Mail reported.
Johaan Kaa (pictured centre with his children) lost his hands and feet to meningococcal septicaemia in 2014
He thought he had ‘man flu’ but just a day later was slipping into a coma as his skin turned black
Pictured: Mr Kaa’s limbs turned black as the disease ravaged his body, while doctors rushed to find a diagnosis
After 11 days in a coma, Mr Kaa awoke to the news that his hands and feet needed to be amputated.
He was also told there was a chance he would not survive the lengthy surgery.
Before he went in, he shared emotional goodbyes with his wife and their three young children, Syra-Maree, 9, Staycee, 7, and Monique, 5.
Mr Kaa described his ordeal as a ‘dark time’ and told News Corp he did not want his children to visit him because he ‘was just this body lying in a hospital bed’.
He survived his close brush with death, but the former manufacturer was unable to return to his physically demanding job, and as a result the family lost their home.
When he awoke from a coma 11 days later, he was told he needed his hands and feet amputated and that he may not survive the surgery
Despite going through a dark period after his surgery, the father-of-three is now a bundle of joy and volunteers as a motivational speaker and runs his own business
He is now fundraising for a bionic hand so he can hold his wife and children again
Since, Mr Kaa has bounced back with joy and gone on to volunteer as a motivational speaker with a number of charities.
He also started selling technologically capable armbands which measure the users heart rate, steps, and sleep quality, with a GPS feature that includes a panic button, in a quest to boost his savings.
The father-of-three told News Corp while he is coping without his limbs, he is desperate to be able to hold his family – and to scratch his own nose – so is saving up for a bionic hand.
‘I want to hold my kids again, and [to] hold Phillipa’s hand,’ he said.
‘I just, I really want that hand. It would mean the world to me.’
According to the Voactiv, leading bionic hands can cost more than $100,000.
Mr Kaa has reached out to the community for support through a GoFundMe account, and is hoping to raise $91,000 to assist with his bionic and surgery costs.
Mr Kaa is hoping to raise $91,000 for the hand through a GoFundMe account