Carson Harvey was heading for a gym workout when he felt a sharp pain in his neck, which turned out to be a rare, deep brain bleed. File photo, Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham
A Palmerston North teenager who had to travel to London for treatment after he suffered a deep brain bleed says he is on the mend.
Carson Harvey said his headaches had stopped and he was looking forward to coming home in January after a second surgery.
It's a trip that came after a massive fundraising effort towards the $150,000 cost, six months since Carson's world changed.
The active teen, then 16, was heading for a gym workout when he felt a sharp pain in his neck on 20 June.
It turned out he had a rare, deep brain bleed, caused by arteriovenous malformation - tangled blood vessels.
Palmerston North teenager Carson Harvey is seen in hospital. File photo. Photo: Supplied
The radiation surgery required was not possible in New Zealand, so three months ago Carson headed to London with his parents, Bruce and Darena, and soon had his first operation.
"I feel much better. I feel normal. I've just stopped hurting. When I stand up I feel better. Everything's better," Carson said.
Bruce said that first operation happened on 29 September.
"That entailed getting a cradle bolted to his head, so two bolts to the front and two to the back.
"They'd already done scans and run tracks through the blood to find out exactly where in the brain they've got to target. These cradles are bolted to the head so they can precisely point the radiation to the exact spots they need," Bruce said.
"It went very well. They were quite excited about how well it went. Carson had headaches for the last three months. He had headaches for two or three days from [the operation]. After that he was basically normal."
Carson's next operation is on 4 January.
"We'll come back to New Zealand on 15 January, then he'll have some check-ups from the neurosurgeons in Wellington as we go through. They'll keep a close eye on him, but they won't know if it's been a true success for four or five years," Bruce said.
"We weren't aware it was that timeframe until after the first procedure."
Carson could not travel home between operations, because it would put him under too much strain, so the family's been seeing the sights of London while being careful to manage his health.
"I'm already noticing a massive improvement from what I used to do. I'm able to do pretty much everything, but still keeping safe and everything," Carson said.
"I'm just making sure I don't overly strain myself, so not doing anything too crazy - no rollercoasters or anything like that yet."
And although they're making the most of their time in London, where they're staying in accommodation donated to them, home beckons.
"I'm missing home quite a lot, just missing some of the things I used to do like hanging out with people I know," Carson said.
Almost $130,000 was raised on Givealitte, and Palmerston North Boys' High School, where Carson studies, also held fundraisers to get the family to London - as did many Manawatū workplaces and organisations.
Carson expects next year to resume his studies at the school and take a car mechanics course at Palmerston North's polytech, UCOL.
"It doesn't feel like Christmas, really, because we don't have the rest of our family and friends with us. It's a bit weird, but we'll do something," Bruce said.
Bruce and Carson thanked the people who had supported Carson and his family through their difficult time.
