Dad thanks DIY SOS team as son’s ‘miracle’ homecoming shown

The father of a teenager whose “miracle” return home was made possible by the BBC’s DIY SOS has said the experience was “humbling” and a reminder that “there are a lot of good people out there”.

Seventeen-year-old Dan, from Freckleton, Lancashire, had been in hospital in Manchester for years after a life-saving operation to remove a brain tumour left him with complex disabilities.

Dan needs non-invasive ventilation at nights but his family home required major adaptations for him to receive the treatment there.

His father, Nigel, told BBC Radio Lancashire after the transformation was aired on BBC One on Tuesday: “When your life is turned upside down you have to learn to live again.”

After spending nearly three years at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Dan was ready to come home long before then, but because his home was not wheelchair accessible, he was forced to stay in hospital.

His mother Julie was living at the hospital while dad, Nigel, stayed at home so he could continue to work to make sure the family had enough money for basic needs.

While things looked bleak, DIY SOS stepped in and did one of its most complex projects the team had ever undertaken.