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A Wānaka man is fighting for his life as his partner struggles to keep his tourism business afloat after Covid-19 dealt a double blow to them.
Brent Shears is in Christchurch Hospital and had his lower right leg amputated last week following delays in obtaining a much-needed second kidney transplant due to the pandemic and the White Island volcanic eruption.
His partner, Krystle Theunissen, is splitting her time between supporting him in Christchurch and single-handedly running his tourism business, Wānaka Water Taxis.
ALDEN WILLIAMS / THINGS
Lake Wanaka Tourism CEO James Helmore says the economic outlook is bleak.
“I just need to get through this season and I need Brent to pick up again and then he can have a meltdown,” he said.
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Shears underwent kidney and liver transplants in 1994. He was told his physical abilities would be limited, but he has since climbed Aoraki / Mt Cook twice and has gone on several climbing and rafting expeditions around the world.
However, his health began to deteriorate about four years ago and he had to stop working and start dialysis in preparation for a second kidney transplant in April 2019.
Early tests revealed she had a leaky valve and an enlarged aorta, requiring heart surgery, but that was delayed for two months as those injured in the White Island eruption received treatment.
Covid-19 then delayed testing of potential donors, but her sister was determined to be suitable in September and surgery was scheduled for November 23.
Three of Shears’s fingers began to rot and last week doctors discovered that the infection had reached the lower part of his right leg.
The leg was amputated at the knee and Shears now had to wait another two months before transplant surgery could be performed.
“We just hope nothing else happens,” Theunissen said.
Debbie Jamieson / Stuff
The owner of WÄ ?? Naka Water Taxis, Krystle Theunissen, runs the business while his partner Brent Shears awaits a kidney transplant in Christchurch.
Yet Shears remained unstoppable: He went to the gym just five days after his amputation, he said.
Shears said it had been a tough road, physically and mentally.
“Overall I feel pretty good, but the varnish is pretty thin.”
Meanwhile, Theunissen was fighting the couple’s other battle in Wānaka, where she was the captain of their smaller boat, the business manager, a tour guide, and the head of marketing and sales.
Their main product is a tour of Mou Waho Island, but they also offer packages that include ATV trips, bike trips, and family experiences.
Bookings for this time of year were comparable to previous years as they had always had strong support from New Zealanders, he said.
However, I had no idea how much demand there would be during the normally busy summer season.
He needed to hire a skipper for the company’s largest ship while Shears remained in the hospital, as he did not yet have a commercial skipper ticket.
Debbie Jamieson / Stuff
The owner of Wānaka Water Taxis, Krystle Theunissen, loves to show people around Lake Wānaka and its surroundings.
People who had previously worked as bosses now work in Department of Conservation programs, he said.
“I can’t blame them … when tourism is so unsafe.”
The couple and an employee had benefited from the government’s Covid-19 wage subsidy, and were extremely grateful for a Givealittle page set up by friends, which helped them cover travel and living expenses, he said.
They had been informed that Shears was not entitled to any sickness benefits unless they filed for bankruptcy, which they did not want to do.
Even though his amputation was due to a genetic condition over which he had no control, he was also not eligible for ACC rights, unlike someone who lost a leg in an accident.
JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON / Stuff
Brent Shears and Krystle Theunissen traveled to Christchurch for Shears’s operation.
Theunissen said he had to leave Shears and return to work earlier than planned after a competitor began offering a similar tour.
Shears continued to work the business from his hospital bed, making calls while on dialysis and creating new products.
The busy summer season had not yet arrived, but Theunissen was already feeling exhausted. However, she loved the tours and the guests she had received so far had been incredible, she said.
“You forget everything else. You out there [on Lake Wānaka and surrounds] and share it with people who love it as much as you do. “
