Andrew Strawbridge: 'I now realise how fortunate I am to be here'

Andrew Strawbridge has spoken for the first time since returning from Samoa . Photo / Getty Images

Chiefs assistant coach Andrew Strawbridge and the doctor credited for saving his life in Samoa have spoken publicly for the first time.

Strawbridge who is not yet up for visitors, remains in a stable condition and spoke from his Waikato Hospital bed saying that he was extremely grateful to Dr David Galler and his team for saving his life.

"I have a beautiful wife, three wonderful children and a very special mother and sister who still have me here thanks to Dr Galler and his wonderful team at Moto'otua National Hospital in Samoa and the team at Waikato Hospital.

"It is only now that the events of the last two weeks have become clearer and I now realise how fortunate I am to be here. It is a very emotional time and I know the road back is a long and challenging one. I woke up to discover that my wife and our friend Deborah had set up a givealittle appeal in a gesture of gratitude to the people of Samoa and the Moto'otua ICU.

"That selfless act by my wife has made me realise how loved I am."

Strawbridge, who is also the Manu Samoa Technical Advisor, said they were all overwhelmed by the support for the givealittle appeal for equipment for the Moto'otua National Hospital ICU which had now raised more than $24,000.

"I want to thank everyone who has generously donated and hope people continue to support it.

"My family and I really appreciate the messages of support from family, friends, the Chiefs whanau, the Manu Samoa aiga, New Zealand Rugby, the wider rugby network and complete strangers. It has been very touching. The outpouring of support has been extremely humbling," said a very emotionally moved Strawbridge.

"We also appreciate those media outlets who have respected our family's privacy in what has been an absolute rollercoaster ride and those who did not film me on life support when my children and mother had not seen me in that state."

The man who is attributed for saving Strawbridge's life, Dr Galler also spoke out from Intensive Care Unit in Samoa.

"All of us who work for the Samoan National Health Service are thrilled that Andrew Strawbridge is on the road to recovery. I know that the prayers of many are for Andrew in the hope and expectation that his recovery will be swift and complete.

"We in the ICU are deeply grateful to the Strawbridge family for launching this appeal to improve the services we can offer at the nation's only Intensive Care Unit. We will do that through improved training for staff and the procurement of essential equipment. We wish to thank each and every donor for the effort they have made to contribute and for their contribution itself.

"Our gratitude is clearly matched by that of National Health Service here and, if the local papers and television are an indication, of all of Samoa too.

"All nations, no matter their GDP, face great challenges in the affordability of healthcare, Samoa is not alone in that regard. The service here is slowly evolving in a way that will be appropriate for the Samoan context. The generous donations from this appeal will accelerate that growth greatly, both because of what we will be able to procure but more importantly because of these individual acts of kindness. The impact of people's generosity is simply enormous. Fa'afetai lava."

The Strawbridge Givealittle appeal continues with a full list of medical care equipment aiming to be purchased with the funds listed on the givealittle page.