JOHN SKYE QUESTIONS
JS – What was the best single moment since the accident and why?
DW – When I first got out of bed in Mauritius and got on my feet, that was when I knew I would be able to start the road to recovery. Plus the first time I saw John, I knew I had to get better so I could beat him.
JS – What was the worst single moment since the accident and why?
DW – Wetting myself, because no one wants to piss their pants. I went out on my scooter, came back to the house, but as I could barely move, I couldn’t get in the door quick enough.
JS – Being honest, did the thought of giving up ever cross your mind?
DW – No, it didn’t when I was in the water. But when everyone went home on the first night in hospital and I was on my own, I thought about how I could end it, as I didn’t want to be like this forever. That lasted for about half an hour.
JS – You have now experienced 3 ‘near-death’ moments in completely different circumstances. Short-term ‘near-death’ in a 150 mph car crash, long-term ‘near-death’ with a battle against cancer and finally a medium-term ‘near-death’ being dragged out to sea whilst semi-paralysed in offshore winds. How do the 3 compare and which was your favourite?
DW – I think the car crash is my favourite, not the one you’re talking about, but another one which nobody knew about where I hit a tree, took off, went down the bank and flipped the car several times. I think that was the best experience. The car crash took up less of my time. The cancer was very time consuming but didn’t really affect me too much to start with. This one (the stroke) can go on to never-never land, but may take a while to kick your ass again.
JS – Have you crashed your car yet?
DW – No! I bought one that was automatic and avoids all crashes.
JS – When you finally get back windsurfing, what is the thing you will want to do the most? Ride a perfect wave, fly down a speed course at 40+ knots, go bump and jump at Clacton on Sea or something different?
DW – Go bump and jump at Clacton on Sea, but don’t write me off all the other stuff.
JS – Your family has always been amazing, but it seems like they all stepped up to another level since the accident. Obviously you are proud of them all, but is there anything that really surprised you on how they behaved over the last year.
DW – To start with, Reece was always extra cautious about me – it took quite a few months to pass before he actually started to take the piss. Then Aaron was young at heart, he didn’t know how to react, once I was back a few months he started to show his worth. As you would expect with Samantha being the oldest, she really held the fort back at home, and when I got home she was always extra caring – she created a journal for me so I could track my recovery. Sally was a legend, like she always is. The 3 weeks in Mauritius she never said a bad word to me, only after a few months did I get the truth from Reece where I found out she didn’t want to be left alone with me in the hospital room because she didn’t understand the actions I made out of frustration. As Reece told me, I always used to clench my fist and hit the bed in frustration to express the words I couldn’t say. It was nice because Florence (my granddaughter) was the only one that didn’t change how she would act with me. In the hospital she always sat on my lap in bed, and now wherever we go she will always walk holding my hand. Dan, Aimee and Milly (the kids partners) have been perfect, every time they see me, the first thing they do is see how I am.
JS – Were you surprised by the response to your just-giving fund raising?
DW – Amazing, amazing, amazing. I will go on about it for the rest of my life. This contributed to so many different aspects of my recovery, from the physical side – the physio and equipment, to even getting my car adapted to enable me to drive and getting my camera altered to allow me to continue my passion of photography. When I can write myself, I will write personal thank you’s to every single person that donated.
JS – You are improving everything rapidly, but after the stroke you basically lost both mobility and speech. Which did you actually miss the most? The ability to run around and go sailing, or the ability to repeat your stories over and over again!
DW – That’s pretty 50/50. When I’m at home and everything’s going on in a conversation, it can be frustrating that I can’t fully talk. But on the other hand, there’s nothing better than windsurfing when you can’t windsurf anymore.
JS – Finally what was worse: 1- the moment you realised you might not be sailing for a couple of years or 2 – the moment you realised I had beaten you in a speed-sailing contest?
DW – You beating me in a speed contest? Well there is always a first for everything. Anyway, I only compete in 35 knots and above.
PETER HART QUESTIONS
PH – Your whole life pre-stroke was about showing off on the water and jabbering incessantly. Your speech is getting so much better (and let’s face it, it was never that great in the first place) but what has been the most frustrating aspect of all this?
DW – When I see you, my speech is really frustrating. I hate to talk slowly with all of my friends. The Essex part of me comes on in my head clear as day but doesn’t come out of my mouth.
PH – Having spent a little time with you recently, you seem amazingly calm and philosophical. Has the stroke made you evaluate life, your outlook and … everything?
DW – No, because my life is what it is, but it has made me want to help others in my situation. I always go out of my way to show others in my position what can be done – at one of my groups I attend, I helped a man say three words which was a massive achievement for him, I am also going to help another lady who wants to try and get out of her house a bit more, but doesn’t have the support to do so. I have applied for a licence to be able to go onto a stroke ward and give support and motivation to others.
PH – Is there going to be a book: “My life in A&E” by Dave White?
DW – I don’t know, because one – I have to write it, and two – I don’t know where it would start. In 1978 I broke my arm and my pelvis, and now 22 accidents later I had a stroke. Three – I probably will have more accidents in the future.
PH – Sally (Dave’s wife), I can see, has been amazing, (as has your whole family) but when we’re chatting and you get stuck, she seems to know EXACTLY what you’re trying to say. Does it worry you that she’s obviously always been able to see through you?
DW – Good question! I hope not. But she always seems to know when I’ve done something bad. She has known me for most of my life, and has been by my side through every single accident I have had– the more I’ve had the easier it gets. I don’t know weather that’s a good thing or a bad thing.
PH – I think you can see how much love, support and positivity there is for you out there on social media – but we all know how good Facebook et al are at papering over the cracks and revealing only the bright side of life. Rehab is rarely a steady upward curve, have there been setbacks along the way when suddenly things have got worse?
DW – Partly. At the start, the bad days and the good days were virtually on par, but as my recovery progresses, the good days seem to become more frequent than the bad. Of course there have been hiccups, but these only encourage me to bounce back.