Sir Bob Parker ‘digging’ after heart attack and stroke

Former Christchurch Mayor Sir Bob Parker is in long-term care after a life-threatening stroke left him with limited movement and confined to a wheelchair.

Parker, a national television figure before becoming an inspirational leader in the aftermath of the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes, said he suffered a heart attack in May last year, when he felt “as fit as ever.”

The 68-year-old man was treated and received medication, including blood thinners.

After recovering, he had a stroke on October 5, just days after attending an event in Akaroa to restore his historic lighthouse.

It caused bleeding in the brain, and Parker spent 11 days in the intensive care unit at Christchurch Hospital in critical condition before being transferred to a general ward for two to three more weeks of monitoring.

After three months of care and rehabilitation at Burwood Hospital, where he had two minor strokes, he was transferred to a care facility in Christchurch late last week.

The stroke has affected the movement of Parker’s left side, and he is in a wheelchair.

Longtime friend Bert Govan said Parker had always prided himself on his looks, was a great cyclist, and had a home gym.

“So it was a huge shock to him, let alone his family and friends, when he had a heart attack and then a stroke,” he said.

Parker, who now struggles with speech, was positive and still a great communicator.

“He is deepening and showing the character that made him capable of providing such strong leadership, empathy and love during the earthquake,” Govan said.

Parker’s wife, Lady Jo Nicholls-Parker, praised everyone involved in caring for her husband.

“At every stage of Sir Bob’s illness, he has received the most amazing care and support from hospital staff at all levels. We can’t talk enough about our healthcare system, ”he said.

“The staff has been exceptional. We both want to greatly thank everyone who has contributed to her care. “

Parker said he was determined to attend the national memorial service to mark the 10th anniversary of the earthquake on February 22 of next month, to support those who lost loved ones or were injured.

He had attended all the previous memorial events and it was important to be there again out of respect for the many victims.

Nicholls-Parker said the family appreciated messages of support from family and friends, but now hoped for privacy so they could focus on rehab.

Leo Hanssen, another family friend, said Parker’s health problems were “tragic.”

“It’s not nice to see someone who has given so much to the city in that situation. But he has a real passion for the future and he wants to do something with it. “

Parker ran the city from 2007 to 2013 and was knighted in 2013.

Aside from his role as the public face of the earthquake response, he was a key figure in organizing the response to the crisis in the first weeks after the February 22, 2011 earthquake.

The tension of that post-earthquake management, and a series of controversies, left him exhausted and led him to decide in 2013 not to seek a third term.

Then-Prime Minister John Key praised his leadership in a heartfelt public tribute, saying that his “commitment to the city during its darkest hours will be his legacy.”

Parker became a familiar face in New Zealand households in the 1980s and 1990s, and was best known as the original host of This is your Life before getting into local politics.

In the 1990s, he served on the Banks Peninsula community board, before leading that district as mayor from 2001 to 2006.

When it merged with Christchurch, he became Banks Peninsula’s representative in the new city council before seeking and winning mayor in 2007.