A NSW father is facing the fight of his life after being diagnosed with an extremely rare condition almost never seen in Australia — and doctors admit they do not know how to treat it.
Chris Wilson, 38, from Coffs Harbour, has been disabled by a shocking case of cadmium poisoning — a toxic metal exposure typically linked to industrial environments and almost unheard of on Australian shores.
But how Chris was exposed remains a mystery.
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The father-of-three and his wife Nikki have spent years seeking answers after Chris began experiencing frightening neurological symptoms, including a seizure and hallucinations.
“We got married in 2019 — it was a beautiful, magical Harry Potter-themed wedding,” Nikki told www.20304050.best.
“Shortly after that, things started to go wrong.”
Doctors initially attributed Chris’s rapid decline to functional neurological disorder (FND) — a diagnosis the couple never fully accepted.
“I told the neurologist I thought it could be a neurotoxin,” Nikki said.
“But he didn’t even see a reason to test for it.”
Years of appointments followed as Chris’s condition continuing to deteriorate.
It wasn’t until a doctor in Toowoomba ran a toxicology test that the real cause emerged: cadmium — at dangerously high levels.
“They found 6.9 micrograms per litre in his blood,” Nikki said.
“Poison control was automatically notified but we were told it was probably because he used to smoke.”
Cadmium is a heavy metal found naturally in tobacco plants, meaning smokers typically have higher baseline levels. But Chris’s numbers kept rising — fast.
“A year later, we got him tested again — it had jumped to 17.3 micrograms per litre,” Nikki said.
“That’s when we knew it was killing him.”
Chris had previously worked in a steel factory in Canada, one of the few potential sources of cadmium exposure the couple can recall.
Chris has urged anyone who works in factories to “take your safety seriously”.
“We believe he was exposed there and it’s just been sitting in his liver,” Nikki said.
“Now it’s slowly leaching into his system and it’s slowly killing him.”
With no known cure for cadmium poisoning, Chris’s condition is terminal.
Doctors have admitted they don’t know how to help.
Chris now requires special nutritional liquids to keep him from starving to death, as the poisoning makes absorbing normal nutrients through food almost impossible.
His diet is carefully monitored, with a danger of developing refeeding syndrome — a dangerous metabolic complication that occurs when a malnourished person resumes eating or receives nutritional support, causing severe shifts in fluids and electrolytes, especially potassium, magnesium, and phosphate.
This can lead to life-threatening conditions affecting the heart, brain, and muscles, including cardiac failure, arrhythmias, seizures, and respiratory distress.
“Palliative care has stepped in to manage his symptoms, they’re doing what they can,” Nikki said.
“He has a gastroscope coming up, and they’re being extremely cautious. They don’t know what the cadmium might have done to his tissues internally.”
Chris now relies on a walker to get around, and the family is urgently trying to source a custom wheelchair to keep him mobile — a costly challenge for a household now surviving on a single income.
“His supplements just to keep him going are incredibly expensive,” Nikki said.
“To get him a wheelchair that fits properly — he’s really tall, it needs to be custom-made. Even his walker takes up half the house.”
The Wilson family has launched a GoFundMe campaign not only to help with medical costs, but also to fulfil one of Chris’s final wishes to see his best friend from Canada one last time.
“It’s about creating an opportunity for love, support and shared strength during a very fragile time in my life,” Chris said.
Any additional funds raised will go towards creating lasting memories with his children, River, Willow and Julian, and keeping Chris as comfortable as possible in the time he has left.
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