No significant improvement but Dudley’s family continues to still cling to hope

The Cole family’s entire life changed on May 15, 2021 when their young, energetic husband, father and son, Dudley Cole, was involved in a hit-and-run accident.

It has now been almost two years since the incident and Dudley is sadly showing no significant improvement.

Also read: UPDATE: Hit-and-run victim Dudley home at last

On that fateful day, Dudley was driving on Ontdekkers Road on his way to Roodepoort North, returning to his wife Ilze and their son Rogan when the driver of a silver car lost control of the vehicle which then hit Dudley’s car. His car then went over the median and hit a tree while the other driver allegedly drove away.

After months is hospital Dudley was finally able to be sent home on August 6, 2021, where his family was placed in charge to take care of him. According to his sister Candice Cole in 2021, he was not making any functional improvement at the step down unit he was in and the medical aid refused to continue payment.

Also read: UPDATE: Some good news about Dudley’s recovery

The News recently checked in with the Cole family to see how they are doing. Ilze said that although they sometimes see small improvements, it is not enough. He has been in and out of hospital a number of times again after coming home and have been diagnosed with epilepsy due to brain damage.

Dudley has a lot of muscle spasms and his one leg is permanently pulled up. Although his Tracheostomy has been removed and he is breathing on his own, he still can not do anything for himself. The little movement that Dudley has shown is limited to blinking his eyes, moving his head and right hand, pouting and fist bumping. She explains that sometimes it does seem like Dudley understands when they talk to him but other times not.

While Ilze works during the day, Dudley’s mother Madelein Cole and a full time nurse looks after him. A day for Dudley starts with a quick wash, then a morning nap, feeding every three hours, physiotherapy, a decent bath in the evenings and being turned every two hours to prevent bed sores. Sometimes he likes to sit up and the family also puts him in a bath which they say he enjoys. When they are outside over weekends they will also take Dudley out in his wheelchair to sit with them.

Unfortunately Dudley is under weight and the family said they have been struggling to get his weight up. The costs of looking after Dudley averages R20 000 per month, something that can sometimes be a struggle to scrape together.

The family has a Back a Buddy page [https://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/dudley-cole] where donations can be made to assist them. They are also asking if anyone can help them with fundraising events they would appreciate it. Another thing that they would like is if they could find doctors who would come to their house to do a check up on Dudley, a dentist to check his teeth and maybe his ears and a general practitioner. As it is difficult to travel with Dudley, home visits would be the easiest.

Ilze said that doctors stated there is a small room for improvement with Dudley and that he will not be a normal functioning human being.

To add to their stress, nothing has come from the accident investigation either and they have to wonder everyday if the person responsible for their heartache is still driving around out there. In the meantime Dudley loves hugs and kisses and is being taken care of by a handful of determined and loving women.

If you would like to help, you can contact Ilze on 079 043 3182 or Candice on 076 687 5081.