Sea World helicopter crash: Victim Tadros family’s church to hold special service in Sydney
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A church is holding a special mass to pray for a miracle to save the 10-year-old boy who was seriously injured in the deadly Sea World Helicopters accident.
Vanessa Tadros and her 10-year-old son Nicholas were aboard the helicopter that struck another and fell to the ground, killing the devoted mother on Monday.
Pilot Ash Jenkinson and British newlyweds Diane and Ron Hughes were also killed in the crash, but Nicholas was pulled from the wreckage alive.
He was rushed to hospital in critical condition and has been on life support ever since with his heartbroken father, Simon, who now fears only a miracle will save him.
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A special mass will be held at the Tadros family church (above) after mother Vanessa was killed in the Sea World helicopter crash and her son Nicholas was seriously injured.
Two Gold Coast Sea World helicopters collided with each other on Monday, killing four (pictured, aftermath of the crash)
Now the family’s St Padre Pio Parish Church in Glenmore Park in western Sydney will hold a prayer service dedicated to Nicholas on Saturday.
Students and teachers from Nicholas’s school will be joined by Father Suresh Kumar, who said the mass will focus on ‘the healing of little Nicholas’.
“He is very critical, very serious,” Father Kumar told the abc. ‘All we can do is pray for a miracle.
The doctors are doing everything they can for little Nicky, but I believe that only a miracle can save him. His father has asked all of us to pray for him.
He revealed that the young man had only received his communion last year and that the community was devastated to discover that the family had been struck by tragedy.
He added: ‘It’s devastating for all of us. We can’t believe it’s on our doorstep.
‘When we first heard the news, we hadn’t heard the names, that in itself was tragic enough.
“When we found out who it was, it was just terrible.”
Meanwhile, Geelong woman Winnie De Silva said her nine-year-old son Leon woke up from his induced coma after they were both seriously injured in the crash.
Church leader Father Suresh Kumar (above) said the special mass will focus on “the healing of little Nicholas.”
She said Leon woke up from his coma and gave his mother a thumbs up even though he was still in severe pain.
She revealed that her first words after the ordeal of terror were: ‘My leg…’
In a written statement from her bed at Gold Coast University Hospital, Ms De Silva thanked people for their “kind thoughts and healing prayers” for her and her son.
“They’re helping me stay positive that Leon and I will get through this,” said Ms. De Silva.
Ms De Silva revealed that her son had woken up from a coma on Wednesday and spoke to him at Brisbane Children’s Hospital via video call.
“He gave me a ‘thumbs up’ and one of his big, beautiful smiles,” she said.
‘Today he uttered two words, ‘my leg’, which gives me hope that he is getting stronger every day.
Australia’s Bureau of Transport Safety chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said the initial evidence-collection phase of the investigation would take 6-8 weeks (accident site pictured)
“With more surgeries scheduled for me next week, my entire focus is getting better so that in the next two weeks I can be with Leon and support his recovery.
“I can’t wait to hug my beautiful, brave boy!”
The De Silva family, including Winnie’s husband Neil, had decided to splurge on the helicopter ride while on vacation from Geelong West in Victoria.
De Silva was not aboard the helicopter with his wife and son when he saw it take off from the helipad before colliding with the blades of a second landing helicopter.
Two other Auckland holiday couples, Elmarie and Riaan Steenberg and Edward and Marle Swart, were on board the other helicopter which managed to land safely.
Tributes have continued to pour in for the four victims, with a GoFundMe for the De Silva family raising more than $60,000.
Winnie De Silva said her nine-year-old son Leon (pictured together) woke up from a coma for the first time on Wednesday after they were both seriously injured in the crash.
“The generosity of the people has been amazing, and I can’t thank them enough,” said Ms. De Silva.
“More importantly, I continue to pray for the recovery of young Nicholas, who was sitting near me in the helicopter, and I offer my sincere condolences to the families of the other passengers. This is an unthinkable and difficult time for all of us.’
The shocking air tragedy is still being reviewed by investigators, that he will not be able to have a verdict until mid-2024.
Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said the initial evidence-gathering phase of the investigation would last 6-8 weeks.
“A final report will be released when the investigation is complete,” Commissioner Mitchell said.
“However, if critical security issues are identified at any stage during the course of the investigation, the ATSB will promptly notify the relevant parties so that appropriate security measures can be taken.”