A good parent would do absolutely anything for their children, but rarely does this protective impulse get tested in quite the same way as it did with Brad Lewis, and his son Oscar, earlier this month.
Brad, 42, was playing with his son at a friend's house in Sydney, with Oscar firing Nerf gun bullets at his dad. Some of the ammo missed Brad, going over the balcony, leading the child to chase after them to see where they had gone. When Brad saw him teetering on the railing, about to fall from the first-floor balcony to the cement driveway below, he lunged after him.
They both ended up going over the balcony, but Brad held Oscar close to his chest so he could take the brunt of the fall. Oscar was hospitalised with a fractured skull and a few minor injuries, but has since returned home. His father, however, got it a lot worse. With major head and neck injuries, doctors were reportedly surprised he even made it out alive.
Brad's friend Beau recalled that all Brad said as he drifted out of consciousness following the fall was "Are the kids okay?", and "Don't let me die, mate". Brad is now on a long journey to recovery, which of course means that the medical expenses will pile up.
Fortunately, you can help out by donating to his GoFundMe, set up by his family and friends to raise money for this treatment. In the description, they wrote:
"Brad's recovery will likely take 6-12 months or more. As the days go by, the realisation of this new reality and the financial implications it will have on the family are just beginning to set in.
"Brad's wife, Suz, has taken leave from her new job to care for the family - but the household bills and mortgage repayments keep rolling in.
"And, when Brad does return home, there will be the requirement for in-house care solutions, housework assistance, childcare etc. And, as Brad will be unable to drive for a long period of time, there will still be ongoing travel costs to ferry him to medical appointments and the boys to school and their activities.
"The last thing the Lewis family needs right now is financial stress. We are looking to raise $150,000 to cover as many of these costs as possible for a period of 12 months."
According to a recent update on the GoFundMe, Oscar is now "recovering slowly" from his fractured skull, safely at home. Brad has been moved from Intensive Care to the Head Trauma ward, with plans to undergo various treatments each day, including the removal of the 45 staples placed in his head.
"He has been informed by doctors of an extended hospital stay and long recovery ahead," they wrote, "particular as a result of the fractured C6 vertebra in his neck, broken ribs and most of all the head trauma". So far, just over $60,000 of the $150,000 goal has been raised.
