Son of legendary Aussie surfer hit by ‘lightning strikes’ of pain every 15 minutes after he was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition
The son of famous Australian surfer Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomew AM is battling a rare neurological disorder which causes ‘lightning strikes’ of pain every 15 minutes.
Gold Coast surfer Jaggar Bartholomew, 22, began suffering intense bouts of pain around his ear and face 10 weeks ago.
It took doctors six weeks to diagnose him with nervus intermedius neuralgia – a rare condition that causes intense pain in the ear and face for minutes at a time.
‘At that point it was so severe he couldn’t work and couldn’t move. It was just such sharp, debilitating pain,’ family friend Luke Altschwager told Daily Mail Australia.
‘It’s like a lightning bolt hits a nerve deep inside his ear and it started happening more frequently. It would happen every 15 minutes and could last up to four minutes. He couldn’t open his eyes and would completely fold over in pain.’
The majority of Jaggar’s treatment is pain management with other options including nerve blocks, physical therapy and surgery.
‘A big priority for Rabbit was making sure Jaggar’s medication can be professionally administered by the hospital,’ Mr Altschwager said.
‘Obviously, when you’re in so much pain you’ll do anything to stop it. We just don’t want to run the risk of him having to deal with an addiction or dependence as well.’
A GoFundMe for Jaggar (pictured) has raised almost $20,000 from 140 donors
Jaggar and his new wife (pictured together on their wedding day four months ago) have moved in with his father, surfer Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomew AM
Jaggar (pictured) suffers intense bouts of pain near his face and ear every 15 to 20 minutes which can last several minutes at a time
Both Jaggar and Rabbit are passionate members of Australia’s surfing community with Rabbit awarded the Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2009 for his mentoring and philanthropy work.
Jaggar and his wife of four months are currently living at his father’s home, where he is learning to manage his pain without hospital staff.
Mr Altschwager has started a GoFundMe to help cover some of Jaggar’s medical bills and alleviate pressure on his family.
‘This guy has done so much for the community and Jagger is a 22-year-old elite surfer and great guy,’ he said.
‘He’s just doing it so tough and it’s been amazing to see the community rally around them. I think we’ve already raised $19,000. It’ll make a massive difference considering this is going to be months and months of rehabilitation.’
Jaggar’s loved ones have already noticed a big difference in his health since he returned home from Gold Coast Hospital last week.
‘Compared to four or five weeks ago, he’s definitely improving. But he’s still in so much pain. It’ll make a massive difference considering this is going to be months and months of rehabilitation,’ Mr Altschwager said.
As nervus intermedius neuralgia is a rare condition, one that Gold Coast Hospital had never treated before, doctors are unsure how long Jaggar will spend in rehabilitation.
Jaggar is pictured with his wife on his wedding day just four months ago
Jaggar Bartholomew (centre) is a passionate surfer on the Gold Coast
It is not known how long Jaggar (pictured) will need to spend in rehabilitation due to the rare nature of his condition
‘The real challenge now is starting to get him resembling a normal life in three to six months,’ Mr Altschwager said.
‘Hopefully the time in between the pains goes from 20 minutes to an hour, to two hours, to maybe once a day.
‘Watching him go through it is like nothing I’ve ever seen. You just wonder, how is he surviving this?
Jaggar’s father is also doing all he can to help his son through the tough time.
‘He’s researching to the end of the world,’ Mr Altschwager said.
‘He just wants to help him, and he’s sitting with him when he can’t. We all hope to have a dad like him. For all the goodwill he’s done in his life, it’d be great to help him when he needs it for his son.’
