Melbourne toddler Noah in coma after suffering freak fall leaving him with head injuries
A three-year-old boy was in a coma for eight days after a terrible fall to his head.
Little Noah from Sunbury, Melbourne’s northwest, fell a few feet onto concrete on the morning of March 30 and landed on his head.
He was with his mother Rachael and his eight-month-old brother at the time and suffered several skull fractures, including a broken eye socket.
Noah was put into an induced coma by paramedics on the side of a motorway before being rushed to the Royal Children’s Hospital.
After eight painful days, Noah finally woke up from his coma last Friday and underwent very complicated brain surgery on Wednesday.
Noah, (pictured left with his younger brother) from Sunbury, Melbourne’s northwest, fell several feet onto concrete on the morning of March 30 and landed on his head.
The surgery involved removing the broken pieces of Noah’s skull while plastic surgeons worked to reconstruct them.
Noah’s mother’s cousin, Melissa, told of the horrific experience that the family called a “freak accident.”
“It was one of those things that you never think will happen to you,” she told Daily Mail Australia.
“When you’re a parent, you can only imagine how much pain they’re going through.
“For anyone to go through this is awful, but to be three and have your entire childhood changed in the blink of an eye is so traumatic.”
Noah has undergone brain surgery after the freak accident last month
Noah’s parents, Rachael and Stephen, have stood by his side throughout the ordeal, and Melissa praised them as “the strongest people I know.”
“Of course it’s an emotional rollercoaster. There are good days, there are bad days. There are ups and downs,” she said.
“It was extremely difficult for them to see him in the state he was in, but they remained positive the whole time.”
Melissa said that because the first 72 hours after a head injury is the most crucial time, the doctors were relieved to see that Noah had survived.
Noah was kept in an induced coma for eight days before waking up last Friday
His surgery involved a highly specialized team of brain surgeons, plastic surgeons and eye surgeons who had to remove parts of his skull to repair the broken areas.
Noah will have another eye surgery in a few weeks.
Melissa said the three-year-old is showing signs of improvement but doesn’t yet have enough strength for in-depth assessments.
“He will need physical therapy, occupational therapy, music therapy, speech therapy, and rehabilitation for the next few weeks to months,” said Melissa.
His parents are now trying to teach Noah to regain the movement of the right side of his body.
“He can’t support his own head right now and needs help moving it,” said Melissa.
“They also had to teach him to swallow again when he woke up from a coma.”
Melissa said that Noah has now become their “wonder boy” and was known as the “life of the party.”
Family members have praised Noah’s strength as he slowly recovers from the fall
a GoFundMe was created to help cover Noah’s medical expenses.
In addition to being a crazy fan of the Western Bulldogs, Melissa said he was extremely bubbly and a “lover of life.”
“It’s been extremely difficult for our whole family to see not only Noah go through this, but the pain Rachael and Stephen went through as parents,” she said.
“I am so proud of their strength and courage.”