Hero Dad Hurt Saving Son

Father of two, Brad Lewis, 42, was critically injured and remains in ICU following an incident where he and his son plunged 4m from a balcony onto a cement driveway while playing at a friend's home in Sydney last Saturday, 4th August 2018.

Brad and his son were happily playing at the time of the incident--his son shot a few Nerf gun bullets at him, they missed and went over the first floor balcony.

Brad's son, Oscar,  ran out to the balcony to check where the bullets had gone, lost his balance and began to tumble over the railing. 

Brad was close enough to see what was happening, lunged at Oscar and managed to grab him, but with Brad's speed and weight headed in Oscar's direction in the hope of saving him, they both ended up going over the balcony.

During the fall, Brad recalls that he made sure he pinned Oscar to his chest and curled around him so that he could take the brunt of the impact - not Oscar. 

Oscar was concussed in the fall, fractured his skull, had bruising on the brain and a few other minor injuries. He's been released from hospital but continues to suffer from shock.
  
Brad, however, took the full impact of the fall on his head. He sustained major head and neck injuries, cracking open his skull, bruising the brain, fracturing the C6 vertebra, among a number of other head and body injuries.

Doctors have expressed their astonishment that Brad is in fact still alive having sustained the injuries that he did. 

If not for Brad's heroic actions it is unlikely that his son, Oscar, would have been so lucky.

At the time of the incident, Brad's friend, Beau, was first to respond. He recalls that all Brad could say was, "Are the kids OK?", "Don't let them see me like this", and, "Don't let me die, mate", as he drifted in and out of consciousness. 

Brad, husband to Suz, father of two boys, friend to many, a former army officer and deep-sea diver, has always spent his days supporting others, giving more than he gets, putting smiles on faces, and being a loving family man. 

Brad is now facing the reality of a long and painful recovery. 

The time has come for us to rally behind Brad and his family, and give back just a taste of the goodness that he generously gives so many of us each and every day.

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. 

There are mounting costs for travel to and from the hospital for Suz and the boys to visit their husband/dad, parking costs and food bills while they are on the go. 

When Suz returns to work, there will be additional childcare, baby-sitting and transportation costs to get the two boys to and from school. 

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. 

Let's all dig deep and support Suz, the boys, and their heroic dad in their time of need. The sooner the better.   
Thank you so much for your kindness in advance!

Brad-- we're all wishing you a healthy, speedy and full recovery as soon as possible.  x