Paralysed Sussex policeman's Christmas plea to be at home for baby's birth

The eight-month-pregnant wife of a paralysed police officer has pleaded for her husband to be moved nearer their home to spend time with their daughters this Christmas and witness the birth of their third child.
Darren and his wife Rosie with their two daughters Amelie and DaisyDarren and his wife Rosie with their two daughters Amelie and Daisy
Darren and his wife Rosie with their two daughters Amelie and Daisy

PC Darren Triggs, 36, has spend 14 years serving local communities in Chichester before a blood clot in his spine changed his life forever earlier this month.

His wife Rosie said: “It would be everything to have him home. It would mean he would be able to see his children.

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“It’s not fair to take them over to Southampton all the time. If he was in St Richard’s we could visit him daily.

“It would mean so so much.”

PC Triggs has recently been taken out of intensive care but is now waiting for a space at a specialist hospital in Wiltshire.

Rosie added: “He’s on the waiting list which is up to eight weeks.

“In the mean time we are trying to get him over to St Richard’s Hospital so his two children can see him and he can be here for Christmas.

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“If he was a St Richard’s he could meet the baby straight away and we would have him here for Christmas.”

A fundraiser has been set up so far raising more than £40,000 for the Triggs.

Inspector David Derrick helped to set up a Go Fund Me page. He said: “He is going to need as much money as possible for the rest of his life.

“He is a fantastic police constable with 14 years’ experience.

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“If he wanted to to stay on with us we would do whatever we can to keep him.

“We just passed the £40,000 mark so we have extended it to £50,000.”

Darren, whose wife is due to have their third child in four weeks’ time, is now out of intensive care but will remain at Southampton hospital for another two months while he is waiting for a bed at a specialist hospital in Wiltshire.

When visiting Darren in hospital, Insp Derrick noted that his only concern was how his eight-month-pregnant wife Rosie was going to get the Christmas tree down from the loft.

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Insp Derrick added: “He finished work on a night shift and days later he got some back pain and his arms started going numb. They transferred him to Southampton but the clot did a lot of damage.

“Whilst it is terribly sad, we would always like to keep Darren in whatever capacity we can.”

The fundraiser began when Darren’s colleagues began putting money in an envelope at Chichester police station.

Before long the envelope grew into a full-blown fundraiser with donations coming from police officers from as far as Manchester, Wales and even the United States.

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Once the full fundraiser had been set up it took in £5,000 in the first three hours.

The target was then upped to £10,000 but before midnight that target had been reached too.

Every time the target was reached, it was increased.

Insp Derrick continued: “The responses have been incredible. He’s had more than 1,700 donations and messages — we had £500 from someone who doesn’t even know him — it has been great. I can’t imagine the expense and money he is going to need just at home.”

Rosie went on to describe the support and generosity of people as ‘amazing’.

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She said: “A big thank you to everyone who has supported us so far. The police community have been there for us since day one and they have been so supportive to us. They have been incredible.”

“It is just incredible. We are so overwhelmed by people’s generosity — even from people we don’t know. It is just amazing. We have been blown over by it.”

Darren and his family will receive all money raised through this page to help and support them initially through this tragic time and the subsequent months/years of coping with being disabled.