A husband has shared the heartwarming moment he brought Christmas joy to his wife by bringing their three dogs to hospital six weeks after she had brain surgery.
Victoria Millar, 37, was given the ‘best present’ on Christmas Day when she was wheeled out of Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital to be greeted by her dogs Marlin, Rosie and Jackson.
Still unable to speak from brain surgery last month, her husband Richard, 29, said the furry gift brought a smile to his wife’s face after a ‘hard’ series of weeks for the couple.
Ms Millar was diagnosed arteriovenous malformation (AVM) last year and they made the decision for her to undergo surgery to remove ‘a big clump’ of the tangled abnormal blood vessels.
‘It was more preventative than anything else, because it could cause strokes and aneurysms, possible fatality,’ Mr Millar told Daily Mail Australia.
Victoria Millar (right with husband Richard) was diagnosed arteriovenous malformation (AVM) last year and the couple made the decision to for her to undergo surgery to remove ‘a big clump’ of the tangled abnormal blood vessels
‘We didn’t have to do it but we decided to do it, we want to have kids in the future and all of that. We decided it was the smart thing to do.’
But the surgery on November 14 took ‘longer than expected’, lasting for 20 hours, and a short 20 minutes into recovery, Ms Millar’s brain began to bleed.
‘They took her back into the theatre and were operating for about six hours… The surgeons at that point said they felt they were doing more damage than good,’ Mr Millar said.
He was then told at 5am the next morning that his wife would not make it through the day.
‘They came in and said to me, ”it’s not good news, she’s got about two hours to go, you need to call the family to say their goodbyes”,’ he said.
Mr Millar said his wife ‘defied the odds’ and managed to fight through. She was in a medically induced coma for a couple of weeks and has since gone from strength to strength.
Victoria Millar, 37, was given the ‘best present’ on Christmas Day when she was wheeled out of Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital to be greeted by her dogs Marlin, Rosie and Jackson
Ms Millar’s surgery took longer than expected and following complications, her husband Richard (left) was told she likely had hours to live. The hairdresser has since pulled through and faces a long road to recovery
‘She was showing improvement pretty much from the time she said she wasn’t going to make it, it’s only been positive since that point,’ he said.
Arteriovenous malformation (AVM)
An AVM is when abnormal blood vessels are tangled and connected to arteries and veins in the brain.
Most people are born with AVMs but the condition is rare.
They occur in approximately three out of 10,000 people.
Ms Millar is still unable to speak due to her tracheotomy but can communicate by writing.
‘She’d been asking for it [the dogs] for quite sometime,’ Mr Millar explained.
He organised to bring the dogs for a visit about two-and-a-half weeks ago when Ms Millar was still in ICU but she wasn’t as ‘aware’ of her surroundings.
On Monday, the back of her skull was put back and she was taken back to ICU where there is one nurse for each patient.
Mr Millar knew it was the perfect opportunity to orchestrate a Christmas Day visit with the pets as the hospital staff would be equipped to take her outside for the greeting.
Video footage from Christmas Day shows Mr Millar walk pomeranian cross cattle dog Marlin, chihuahua Rosie and dachshund cross staffy Jackson to Ms Millar’s hospital bed.
‘She said ”thank you” so many times,’ he said.
‘The first time [the dogs visited] she wasn’t too aware but this time you could see in her face she was actually smiling.’
Ms Millar ‘defied the odds’ and managed to fight through. She was in a medically induced coma for a couple of weeks and has since gone from strength to strength
Mr Millar orchestrated a Christmas Day visit with the three dogs. Video footage shows Mr Millar walk pomeranian cross cattle dog Marlin, chihuahua Rosie and dachshund cross staffy Jackson to Ms Millar’s hospital bed
Mr Millar said the encounter made his wife feel ‘more comfortable’.
‘As much as she trusts me with them [the dogs], she wants to see them to make 100 per cent sure [that he’s looking after them]… I think she wanted to see them in person.’
‘We’ve also got a little WiFi camera set up in the lounge connected to the phone. Sometimes in the hospital I take the phone out and we can talk to the dogs.’
But Mr Millar admitted it’s a different experience when you’re able to ‘touch’ the pets.
‘As soon as she starts talking and they can hear her voice, they’ll be all over her, jumping on her like crazy,’ he said.
Speaking to the ordeal, Mr Millar said it’s been a hard couple of months and something he would never wish upon his worst enemy.
‘It’s been a rollercoaster from one minute thinking I’m didn’t have a wife to having a wife, it’s been hard,’ he said.
Speaking to the ordeal, Mr Millar said it’s been a hard couple of months and something he would never wish upon his worst enemy. ‘It’s been a rollercoaster from one minute thinking I’m didn’t have a wife to having a wife, it’s been hard,’ he said
Pictured: The couple’s three dogs Marlin, Jackson and Rosie
The couple were also meant to start IVF during this period but will need to push it back while Ms Millar recovers.
Mr Millar also heaped praise on his ‘strong’ wife.
‘It is what it is, she’s fighting, she’s a trooper,’ he said.
‘She’s such a strong human being.’
The couple, who will have been married for two years in February, often fundraise for RSPCA.
They adopted their chihuahua Rosie from the animal welfare organisation in February last year and Ms Millar is proud to throw her support behind the RSPCA.
‘Vic’s everything is animals. Her dogs are her babies until we have real babies,’ Mr Millar said.
‘Our little dogs are our everything.
The couple, who will have been married for two years in February, often fundraise for RSPCA. They adopted their chihuahua Rosie from the animal welfare organisation in February last year and Ms Millar is proud to throw her support behind the RSPCA
While Ms Millar is currently a hairdresser, her husband said he is encouraging her to do what she loves and work with animals after she’s recovered
‘I know if she had to choose between me and the dogs, I hope she would choose me but it would be a close call.’
While Ms Millar is currently a hairdresser, her husband said he is encouraging her to do what she loves and work with animals after she’s recovered.
Mr Millar, a sales manager originally from South Africa, moved from New Zealand to Australia to be with his wife.
A GoFundMe page has been created on behalf of the couple during the difficult time and long road ahead as Ms Millar will need to endure months of rehabilitation.
‘Anyone who knows Victoria and Richard know they have three fur babies and how involved they are with the RSPCA, raising money and doing the Million Paws Walk every year,’ the page says.
‘But now it’s time to support them… any donation big or small will help them financially.