"Please continue to pray for Nicholas, he has a long hard road ahead of him," the grieving father said.
In the afternoon of January 2, Monday, two helicopters collided in an Australian tourist hotspot, killing four passengers and critically injuring three others in a crash that drew emergency aid from beachgoers unwinding in the water during the southern summer. Among those who were injured was a 10-year-old boy, who has woken from a coma in a hospital and held his father's hand, a family priest said, as per CBS.
Video reveals 10 seconds to tragedy in Sea World helicopter crashhttps://t.co/k2WcrDpQms
— Brisbane Times (@brisbanetimes) January 5, 2023
Nicholas Tadros has remained in the Queensland Children's Hospital in Brisbane where medical staff described his condition on January 16 as "critical but stable." His mother, Vanessa Tadros, 36, died when two Sea World theme park helicopters collided during joy flights on January 2, at the tourist city of Gold Coast, 50 miles south of Brisbane. She was buried after a funeral near the family home in western Sydney. According to The Guardian, her husband Simon gave a sentimental eulogy. The eulogy was punctuated with pauses as he held back tears along with hundreds of mourners at the Maronite Catholic Church in western Sydney.
Two weeks after the Sea World helicopter tragedy, father Simon Tadros today left his son's hospital bedside to attend his wife's funeral in Sydney.
— 9News Queensland (@9NewsQueensland) January 16, 2023
Vanessa Tadros was remembered as a loving woman, pure of heart, with an infectious smile. @SophieUpcroft #9News pic.twitter.com/1Ve8Io3i67
“Vanessa was a special person. Her smile was infectious ... she had a pure heart ... every day we grew strong together. She was our protector,” he said. “To my beautiful wife, I will always love you no matter what challenges face us. I know you’ll always be with me. Rest in peace, beautiful.” Amid the heaviness of the grief that comes with losing a loved one, Tadros was able to find some lightness, as he said, “If you knew my wife, she’d call me rude if I didn’t thank everybody, so thank you for coming.”
The husband of Sea World chopper crash victim Vanessa Tadros, who flew to Sydney from his son’s hospital bedside to attend his wife’s funeral, has kissed her coffin before entering the service https://t.co/p6T65oTUVi
— The Courier-Mail (@couriermail) January 16, 2023
Simon Tadros will now return to his son and support his recovery. Tadros confirmed via social media that his son had woken up from a coma and was off life support but still on a ventilator. He added "They have lowered his sedation medicine at times to see if he is responsive and he has woken up and is able to respond to some questions with a nod or shake of the head, he is also able to hold my hand but still no movement in his legs yet but have been advised that could be due to the broken bones in both his legs. Due to the pain and distress and anxiety levels, they have had to sedate him again for now. He has a couple of surgeries next week."
He further thanked everyone for their support, "Thank you to everybody that has shown support, love, and continuous prayers for Nicky, God is listening to our prayers. Please continue to pray for Nicholas, he has a long hard road ahead of him."
Along with Nicholas’s mother, British couple Ron and Diane Hughes and pilot Ashley Jenkinson were also killed in the crash that is being investigated by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. The other victims who remain in the hospital are a 33-year-old mother and her 9-year-old son. The conditions of both are listed as stable.
References:
https://www.facebook.com/charlie.bakhos
Cover Image Source: Facebook | Suresh Kumar
