In an open letter to the Health Service Executive, David Garvey (33) has asked to be released from hospital so he can live with his family and enjoy something of a “normal life”.

Mr Garvey has been in Dublin’s Beaumont Hospital for 14 months suffering from ‘locked in’ syndrome following three strokes and a brain haemorrhage. He is now unable to move and communicates by blinking his eyes. To date, his requests to be moved back to his family home in Dundalk have not been granted.

In his poignant letter, Mr Garvey describes what life has been like for him in hospital. “Can you please close your eyes and imagine lying in bed not being able to move a muscle... Imagine when you open your eyes the first thing you see is a ceiling, and you will see that same ceiling for the next few hours until a nurse comes and move your head.”

David's sister Lynne Flood spoke to Newstalk's Pat Kenny Show about his plight:

Using eye movements, David spent a week working on composing his letter to the HSE.

There had been hope that the family would get €200,000 annual funding that would allow for 24-hour care for Mr Garvey but the cost was increased to €400,000, dashing their hopes of a hospital release.

Mr Garvey is engaged to his fiancée Bernadette who visits from Dundalk as often as possible and in the letter he writes that he wishes to return home so he can “plan my wedding.” Adding, “Let me have happiness.”

David Garvey's letter to the health authorities

Can I ask you all a favour? Please.

Can you please close your eyes and imagine lying in bed not being able to move a muscle and being hooked up to a life support machine.

Imagine when you open your eyes the first thing you see is a ceiling, and you will see that same ceiling for the next few hours until a nurse comes and move your head.

When your head gets moved, your next view is a wall with a mirror and sink.

Believe me, this will be the highlight of your day until your family comes at 3pm to visit.

Now, imagine you have an itch and you can’t move to scratch the itch and you can’t tell anybody because you can’t talk!

You can’t even wipes your eyes if they get sore or dry, can’t move your legs if you get a cramp, you just have to put up with the pain.

Spirits

Your family will try to keep your spirits up and try to make you laugh. They will read the paper and tell jokes and tell you about their day.

That’s the hardest part. Knowing that you are not part of the family anymore.

When they leave, you try and not let them see how upset and miserable you are.

That’s when your tears will come. You can’t even wipe your eyes until a nurse comes and does that for you.

I JUST WANT TO GO HOME. PLEASE DON’T SAY NO. PLEASE.

Please let me go back to my family for somewhat of a normal life.

Let me plan my wedding. Let me have happiness.

Let me be able to make decisions about my life just like everyone else can in theirs.

I never asked for this to happen to me but it has and I have to accept this. It’s extremely hard but I am a tough cookie.

It won’t beat me.

Thank you for reading this letter.

If I could I would cross my fingers and toes for a good answer. I would cross everything.

- DAVID