A veteran punk rocker almost went blind after he was struck down with a life-threatening illness on the first day of a holiday in Greece.
Sydney guitarist and singer Dan Batchelor became ‘extremely unwell’ after contracting meningitis.
The serious illness inflames the protective membranes of the brain and spinal cord and can be caused by a viral, bacterial, fungal, or parasitic infection.
Mr Batchelor, who co-founded punk band the Dunhill Blues, had beaten cancer and a related auto-immune disease just months earlier.
After making a full recovery, the muso returned to work and started saving up for a trip to Greece to celebrate his wife’s birthday in June.
Hours after arriving, Mr Batchelor fell ill and had to be rushed to an emergency department in Athens.
He flew home to Australia, where he received treatment and returned to work. But weeks later, his vision began to blur and he was admitted to hospital again.
Doctors later told Mr Batchelor’s wife, Vesna Sulic, that the musician would have lost his sight completely if they arrived just hours later than they did.
Dan Batchelor (pictured) fell ill with a life-threatening infection while on holiday in Greece
The guitarist and singer (above) is receiving injections into his eyes to prevent vision loss
One of his eyes suffered permanent damage, and doctors worked to prevent total vision impairment.
Ms Sulic said it was ‘freaky as hell’ watching her husband’s eyeballs be injected.
‘He is still getting injections every second day,’ she wrote on a GoFundMe.
‘He is very brave and still has his sense of humour throughout the procedure.
‘He is hopeful they can stop the spread of the infection. He is very thankful for all your love and support.’
Friends and family have called on the rock and roll community for help.
They said Mr Batchelor has exhausted his leave at work and has burnt through his savings paying for medical bills, rent, and other living expenses.
‘While this gives Dan time to work on his new blues guitarist name, and rest and recover, of course, the reality is this the latest medical episode has emptied Dan and Ves’s emergency fund,’ friends wrote on the fundraiser.
Mr Batchelor (far left) of The Dunhill Blues (pictured) almost went blind after his holiday
‘If you’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting Dan and Ves, or seeing Dan play, or listening to his music: dig deep.
‘If “deep” means $5 of your hard-earned coin, we would honestly be so grateful.’
Their fundraising efforts have raised $7,556 at the time of writing.
The Dunhill Blues have been affectionately described as a ‘B-grade garage-punk band’. They have released multiple albums since their debut in the early 2000s.
