'Heart of gold': Crash leaves young man in coma in Bali
TENS of thousands of dollars have poured in for a fundraiser to bring home 21-year-old Jacob Mabb who's in an induced coma in Bali after a motorbike crash.
Sunshine Coast
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TENS of thousands of dollars have poured in for a fundraiser to bring home popular 21-year-old Jacob Mabb who remains in an induced coma in Bali after a motorbike accident.
The former surf coach and talented rugby union player was involved in a motorbike accident on Sunday which left him needing surgery to relieve bleeding on his brain.
He remained in a stable but critical condition in an induced coma and a fundraising effort was started to raise enough money to help pay for a medically assisted flight which costs $58,000.
More than $34,000 has been tipped in by family and friends in less than 18 hours to help ease the family's financial burden and bring Jacob back to Australia as soon as possible.
His friend and former boss, XL Surfing Academy co-owner Carlene Sherwell, said the amount of money raised in such a short time spoke volumes for Jacob's character.
"He's got a real heart of gold," she said.
Jacob worked as a surfing instructor with Carlene and her husband, Robbie, for five years, while he studied environmental science at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
Mrs Sherwell said he had a following of grommets and was always quietly spoken and very polite.
She said she understood Jacob had been coming back from Uluwatu with a friend in the early hours of the morning when the accident happened.
"It's just devastating," she said.
Mrs Sherwell said Jacob's parents had flown to Bali to be with their son.
Mrs Sherwell said they were currently trying to organise a raffle with their sponsors to donate to the fundraiser and they were also working their contacts in Bali to try and arrange a medical evacuation flight for Jacob.
"He's (Jacob) made a big impact," she said.
"He has a bright future ahead of him too."
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