GoFundMe started for Gympie boy mauled in horror Bull Arab attack

A distraught Queensland mother was left holding flaps of her son’s skin together after he was nearly mauled to death by a nearby dog. *Warning graphic content

A Gympie region mother lived her worst nightmare when she was left holding her eight-year-old son’s skin together after he was mauled by a nearby dog last week.

Single mum Brooke Van Der Maat, a former soldier screamed as blood spurted from little Oscar’s his face and neck on the night of Tuesday, November 23.

Neighbour Edith Mannion recounted the traumatic ordeal to the Gympie Times that Thursday (November 24), including the moment where the little boy asked his mother if he was going to die.

Now, photos have emerged showing the extent of Oscar’s horrific injuries.

Oscar was taken to the Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane, but has since been discharged. Photo: GoFundMe

Oscar was rushed to Gympie Hospital in a serious condition and later taken to the Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane for treatment where his mother has stayed by his side.

A spokesperson for the hospital said Oscar has since been discharged, but could not provide a date.

The Gympie council confirmed the bull arab responsible for the attack was destroyed.

Since then however, things have since gone from bad to worse for Ms Van Der Maat, after toxic sewage leaks were discovered in the Gympie home she’d worked so hard to buy.

The newly bought Gympie house sustained immense sewer damage, posing significant health risks to Ms Van Der Maat and her young son. Photo: GoFundMe

Payment on the house had already been settled, but coupled with the Queensland rental squeeze, Brooke and Oscar were left homeless and forced to live in a tent in their backyard.

Without a home to return to, a GoFundMe with a goal of $50,000 was started by Ms Van Der Maat’s friend Miriam Sawan.

The description of the fundraiser detailed the harrowing chain of events, starting with the state the new home was found in.

“There are mould spores and E.coli in the air. (Brooke) is going bald, her memory is affected, she and her son have constant, severe diarrhoea, and continuing health impacts from the dire state of the house,” the description reads.

It then went into detail about the harrowing dog attack and said Ms Van Der Maat had never heard cries as “loud or as harrowing” as Oscar’s screams that day.

“In Brooke’s words, she said ‘I just want to be able to have my baby somewhere clean and not contaminated so he can heal and not have more infections and more surgery’,” the page read.

It also said Ms Van Der Maat’s father had undergone chemotherapy treatment, and the family could not live with him out of fear of risking his health.

“This family has been through more than enough,” the description reads.

Ms Van Der Maat declined to be interviewed, but said the support from the community was “so, so special”.

At the time of publishing, The GoFundMe has reached $5,870.

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