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Brave
Julian battles on, by Emily Wheeler - 14th February
2008
(Credit:
Daily Liberal)
Wellington toddler Julian Smith
has had five operations in the past month after
being disembowelled by a pool filter.
But
the road to recovery is set to be a long one for
the three-year-old, who was critically injured
when he was sucked into a backyard pool filter
at Wellington in January.
Julian
was rushed to Wellington District Hospital before
being airlifted to Westmead Children’s Hospital,
where he is expected to remain for another six
months.
Julian’s
parents, Wayne and Sonia Smith and their 20-month-old
son Luca relocated to Sydney to be with the toddler.
Julian’s
aunty, Dubbo woman Kym Coon, said the family’s
life has been turned upside down by the incident.
“He’s
had five operations, he’s on a feeding tube
and on a constant flow of morphine,” Mrs
Coon said.
“He’ll
have at least another couple of operations - it’s
a lot to go through.
“They’re
just taking it day to day.”
The
family was just a week away from moving to Canberra
for a job opportunity when the incident happened.
Mrs
Coon wants to raise awareness of the potential
dangers of pool filters, and she has also set
out to raise much-needed money for her nephew’s
family to help them through their ordeal.
Julian
was the second child treated at Westmead for a
pool filter injury in the past 12 months.
“The
main thing is to get to know your family pool
- make sure the cover’s on, locate where
the switch is for the filter,” she said.
“But
it’s not only the pool at home, you could
be at a friend’s pool, on holidays at a
motel, and people need to know exactly where the
switch is and where the children are playing.
“It
could be any of our children, I just hope nobody
has to go through this.
“Your
life can change in an instant, life is precious.”
The
Comobella Playgroup at Wellington, of which Julian
was part, has sent the family easy-to-prepare
food items and games for Luca.
Mrs
Coon is planning a ‘Yoga in the Park’
fundraiser morning next month where residents
can make a gold coin donation to help the Smith
Family.
Mrs
Coon is also pledging money from the sale of her
yoga DVD to the family.
Anyone
who wants to make a donation can contact Mrs Coon
on 0402 754 606.
emily.wheeler@ruralpress.com
Profiles
Kym
Patricia Coon
Westmead
Children’s Hospital
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