Following a bizarre accident in which he fell off a trampoline and dislocated his neck, a parent is now comatose and paralyzed from the chest down.
Rob Harcourt, 37, from Stockton-on-Tees, near Middlesbrough, has spent the last three weeks in critical care, where he has had neck fracture stabilization surgery. The scaffolder was playing on a trampoline at a friend’s home when he collapsed and dislocated his neck.
After fluid was discovered on his brain, he was transported to James Cook University Hospital for emergency surgery and had an operation.
Mr. Harcourt then had an eight-hour surgery to treat the neck fracture.
His heart stopped beating for almost three minutes, putting him in a severe state.
He is also on blood-thinning medication due to a blood clot, and his high temperature has required him to be connected to a machine meant to cool his body.
Mr. Harcourt is now being weaned off of his ventilator in the hopes that he would recover awareness and be able to breathe on his own. However, it seems probable that he will never walk again, and his brain has sustained considerable damage.
His mother Jackie Graves and his girlfriend Jade Higgins have visited Rob in the hospital every day since the event, and they describe themselves as “truly humbled” by a GoFundMe page put up by their friends to assist with Jade’s home costs and other needs during this dreadful time.
Amanda Jones from Llangwyryfon, near Aberystwyth, whose husband Alan is a close friend of Rob, created the fundraising campaign that has raised more than £5,500 in a matter of days. Amanda said, “It’s quite humbling and demonstrates what individuals can do when they work together.”
Rob has had a succession of blood clots, a heart arrest, and brain enlargement. Hopefully, he is now turning a corner and, fingers crossed, will emerge unscathed. The only thing left to do is wait and see when he wakes up and how he is.
You just do not believe anything like will ever occur. He is such an outdoorsy, energetic young man. This has been such a terrible time for the family that my husband and I felt the only way we could assist was to organize this fundraiser to give Jade some breathing space.
Amanda continued, ‘We won’t know the effect of it until he awakens.’
“We are quite appreciative for all the donations to the fund; they are incredibly helpful and humbling.”