This story is about my son Phil. He was involved in a major collision on the
04/12/02.  
  It was 3.20pm when the phone rang I was told that it was the boss at my sons work
and that he had been involved in an accident. He told me the three boys that were
in the car had all been taken to Dandenong hospital but could'nt tell me any 
more. 
  Everything seemed like I was in a dream, Wayne my husband had just come in from
work while I was on the phone and took off to the hospital where  Phil had been
taken. At 5.00pm I was watching the news on tv when I relised the news article I
was watching related to the accident my son had been in and I found out he had
been airlifted to a differant hospital because he had suffered a serious head
injury. Wayne came in the door and I told him Phil had been airlifted to the
Alfred in melbourne. 
  This was just the begining of what unfolded to be nothing short of a nightmare. We
had lived in Frankston for the past 16 years and had never ventured to the city.
We found our way to the hospital after getting off the train at the wrong station
and having to walk about 5 kms. 
  We had no idea what we were going to be meet with. Phil was in a coma and on life
support his face and head were pretty well smashed up and we were told the next 48
hours were criticle and be prepared for him to die is what we were told. On day
nine in intensive care we were told Phil was in P.T.A (post truamatic amnesia)and
even though he was moving the movements he was making were abnormal and he had
severe brain damage. The next day he had to have a trachiotomy as he required the
life support for an extended period of time. Over the next few days Phil spiked a
temperature and needed a blood transfusion, then we were told he had contracted
meningitis and once again we didn't know if he would make it or not. After 19 days
in intensive care Phil was transfered to a ward where we had 4 days to organise a
rehabilitation hospital. 
  We managed to find the one we felt would be best for Phil's needs and he was
transfered to the Bethesda unit at the Epworth in Richmond. When Phil was accessed
we were told he wouldn't be out of rehab for at least 12 months. Four days after
his transfere he had to have a peg put into his stomarch so he could be peg feed
as he kept pulling the nasogastic tubes out or chewing through them, that was
Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day Phil was really sick again so he was taken to
intensive care at the Epworth because he was to sick to be transfered back to the
Alfred. This time we are told he has contracted golden staph and pneumonia and to
start making funeral arrangements no one expected him to pull through this time
but once again god was on his side. A week later he was moved back to the head
injury unit were physio was started as both his legs had gone into spasticity due
to the head injury and a stoke. I will never forget the day he woke up he sat bolt
upright in bed and said bloody hell dad get me to work I'm late and the boss won"t
like it. Since that day Phil has never looked back. He was in rehab for 4 months
then he was discharged. He still has alot of ongoing problems but I still have my
son.


Email  Lesley