TEN-YEAR-OLD Nicholas Tadros, who survived the recent helicopter crash near Sea World on the Gold Coast, has been taken off hospital life support and is described as “responsive” after undergoing a series of surgeries last week.
His parish priest, Fr Suresh Kumar from St Padre Pio parish in Western Sydney, posted on Facebook that “Nicky has been off life support now for a few days and his body has responded very well, still on the ventilator machine to support his breathing”.
“They have lowered his sedation medicine at times to see if he is responsive and he has woken up and able to respond to some questions with a nod or shake of the head , he is also able to hold his dad’s hand but still no movement in his legs yet but have been advised that could be due to the broken bones in both his legs,” Fr Kumar posted.
The priest also called for people to continue praying for young Nicholas Tadros’s recovery. He remains in the Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane and is expected to undergo further surgeries this week.
“God is listening to our prayers. Please continue to pray for Nicholas, he has a long hard road ahead of him,” Fr Kumar posted.
The funeral for Nicholas’ mother Vanessa, who also died as a result of the crash, was held at St John the Beloved Church in Mount Druitt this morning (January 16).
A group of about 80 mourners gathered on the Gold Coast’s Broadwater on Sunday (January 15) to mourn the victims of the helicopter crash that killed four people on January 2.
First responders, witnesses and locals held a moment’s silence on the shore where the accident happened, killing pilot Ash Jenkinson, British newlyweds Diane and Ron Hughes, as well as Vanessa Tadros.
Organiser Chantal Clarke posted on Facebook: “Today, it was my privilege to call together community from across the Gold Coast to acknowledge the trauma we collectively experienced as a result of the helicopter crash that happened in front of thousands of onlookers”.
“I was blessed not to have witnessed the event,” Ms Clarke posted.
“That blessing allowed me to act and set a path for others to walk down to start their journey to healing.
“Together, we presented a unified front; a show of caring and love. For those directly involved in the event, my hope is that this public display will help in some small way.”
