Nz time now

Dr Mellow, known for pioneering surgeries in the 1990s, is now working from a wheelchair.

He catches the train to work - it is a short trip from his home in Remuera to the Newmarket Train Station, and the train stops at Middlemore’s doorstep. The hardest part of the day is showering and dressing and transferring to his chair before work. He had to give up fishing and sell his boat. Occasionally he “puts the gloves back on” and helps with an operation. Two years ago, he injured his left ankle when transferring from his bed to his wheelchair. Partway through the consultation he pulled out a hammer and “walloped” Mellow, breaking his nose and cheekbone. The gap between diagnosis by a GP to surgery at Middlemore is usually about a month. He also started a music theory degree at the University of Auckland but had to give it up partway when his wife became sick. He moved into private practice, which he is quick to say was not a financial decision and was not solely cosmetic surgery, with many patients needing skin cancer removals or breast reconstructions. After a number of appointments to address his concerns, the patient turned up to an appointment with a briefcase. “There’s no point in giving up,” he told the Herald on Sunday from his consulting room at Middlemore Hospital. “I guess I’ve had a number of challenges,” he concedes.