DIY SOS Team Adapts Freckleton Home For Dan Return

A teenager from Freckleton, Lancashire, has returned home after nearly three years in hospital following a brain tumour operation, with BBC DIY SOS adapting his family house so he could receive the care he needs there. Sixteen-year-old Dan had remained at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital because his home was not wheelchair accessible and needed major changes for his non-invasive ventilation equipment, according to BBC reporting. The teenager's return was described as a "miracle" by the report about the project, which followed extensive work by the DIY SOS team to make the property suitable for Dan's needs.

The experience was described as "humbling" by Nigel, Dan's father, who thanked the people involved in helping the family reunite at home.

Nigel also said there were "a lot of good people out there" after the community supported the major building project. Dan's father explained how the family's circumstances changed after his son's medical emergency and the long hospital stay.

"When your life is turned upside down you have to learn to live again," said Nigel, Dan's father, in comments to BBC Radio Lancashire. Nigel said the family had been able to spend Christmas together after Dan returned home.

"We actually had a Christmas together in our own home and had people round," said Nigel, Dan's father. Nigel said the family were "so pleased" to be back in Freckleton and "where we belong" after spending time between their Lancashire home and the hospital in Manchester. The DIY SOS team said the build was among the most complex projects it had undertaken. The work included removing and replacing the roof on the first day, while volunteers from the village and surrounding areas helped complete the adaptation.

The show's reveal was described as "incredibly emotional" by the report, after the team completed changes that allowed Dan to live at home with his family.

Dan said he was now "thriving" in his accessible home, where he is surrounded by his family after the long period in hospital.