Beaconsfield mine disaster survivor Todd Russell is to spend his final days at home with his family after a prolonged and unexplained health battle.
Mr Russell, who became a household name after being trapped underground in Tasmania for 14 days with fellow miner Brant Webb, said there were no further medical options available to him.
“After years of pain, uncertainty, appointments, treatments, setbacks, and endless battles plus the emotional exhaustion of having to pick myself up time and time again, have left me with nothing left to give,” he wrote in a social media post.
“The time has come medically and physically where there are no further options on either front for me and there is no more fight left in me.”
Mr Russell said he would leave hospital after eight-and-a-half months and return to his home, where he would be surrounded by his wife, children, relatives and friends.
He also thanked staff at Launceston General Hospital for supporting him through what he described as “an incredibly difficult journey”.
The nature of his illness has not been disclosed. Mr Russell said in July last year that he had received “some unfortunate health news” and had been unwell, leading to a number of major decisions and a period away from work.
He and Mr Webb were trapped after the Beaconsfield mine collapsed on May 9, 2006. Their emergence after two weeks underground, followed by footage of the pair “clocking out”, became an internationally recognised display of Australian humour.
Mr Russell later became a motivational speaker, discussing his experience in the mine to help others. Both men have also spoken about mental health difficulties after their rescue.
Reflecting on the years since the disaster, Mr Russell described his life as “a bit of a rollercoaster”, while Mr Webb said: “I thought, man, I thought it was dark in the mine until I got mental health issues.”
