01-08-2025
Aussie punk rocker almost goes BLIND after contracting meningitis on the first day of his holiday in Greece
A veteran punk rocker almost went blind after he was struck down with a life-threatening illness on the first day of a long-awaited holiday in Greece.
Sydney guitarist and singer Dan Batchelor narrowly escaped going blind after he became 'extremely unwell' after contracting meningitis.
Meningitis 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, contracted the infection just months after he beat cancer and a related auto-immune disease.
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.
But just hours after arriving, Mr Batchelor came down with a severe case of meningitis 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 rushed to hospital again.
Doctors later told Mr Batchelor's wife, Vesna Sulic, that he would have lost his sight completely if they arrived just hours later than they did.
One of his eyes suffered permanent damage, as doctors work to prevent total vision impairment as a result of the rare meningitis complication.
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.
'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.
