The heartwarming reason why Sea World chopper crash survivor will be glued to Jarome Luai in the NRL grand final as he battles to come back from losing his leg

Eleven-year-old Nicholas Tadros, the survivor of a Gold Coast helicopter crash, will support the Panthers in the NRL grand final and loudly support his hero Jarome Luai.

Nicholas lost his mother and was seriously injured in the Sea World helicopter crash on January 2, which killed a total of four people and injured nine.

He broke almost every bone in his body in the accident and also had his right leg amputated.

When Nicholas woke up from the coma and heard the shocking news, he didn’t want to talk to anyone.

“It felt like my body was just stranded in space,” he told the BBC Sydney Morning Herald.

Nicholas’ hero Jarome Luai visited him in hospital and really made a difference

“That was where my mentality was, but in a darker place. I wouldn’t talk to anyone. I wasn’t in the mood. The nurses talked to me and I didn’t talk to them.’

His father Simon Tadros wanted to help his heartbroken son, so he talked to his brother-in-law Jack about ways to get him smiling again.

Jack contacted Nicholas’ favorite football team, the Penrith Panthers, to see if they could help – and Jarome Luai answered the call.

The effect Number 6 had on the wounded youth was simply stunning.

“After Jarome came, I started talking to people again,” Nicholas said.

‘I love him. When he came to visit me, I felt like he was family to me. I hope I can continue to see him. It meant everything to me. More than ever.

“One player would have been enough, but to have my favorite player left me speechless.”

ARL committee chairman Peter V’landys organized a corporate suite for Nicholas and his father ahead of the Penrith vs. Broncos tie-breaker at Accor Stadium on Sunday.

Nicholas and his father will be cheering loudly for Luai and the Panthers on Sunday

Nicholas’ mother Vanessa Tadros (photo) died in the helicopter crash in January

Luai says that Nicholas is an inspiration and that he is proud that he could have helped him through his darkest moments.

‘Big Nicky. He’s an inspiration, man,” the Panthers five-eighth said.

“He was going through some pretty tough times when I saw him. You appreciate what you have in moments like this.

“To know that I had such an impact on his little life, it means so much.”

Luai has become a magnet for criticism in recent years, and Simon believes many fans have misunderstood the Panthers star.

“If you get a chance to sit down with Jarome and see what kind of person he is, he has a good heart,” Simon said.

‘He’s a good person. You can’t please everyone. There will always be a critic.

“The fact that he took time out of his life to visit Nicholas, he didn’t have to do that. Nicholas will never forget it and I will never forget it. It was a turning point in his life.’