Pride of Australia 2014: Brave Jarrod steps up to keep his orphaned brothers together

JARROD Lawrence could have been forgiven if he had gone off the rails.

JARROD Lawrence could have been forgiven if he had gone off the rails.

His father died in 2008; then three months ago, on his 19th birthday, he buried his mother, the centre of his world.

Jarrod and brothers, Blake, 16, and Dylan, 14, were orphans and faced being separated. To stay in the family home, they needed to pay a mortgage and the hefty medical bills from his mother’s aneurism and a brain tumour Dylan suffered two years before.

Many young men would have blocked it out with alcohol and drugs. Not Jarrod Lawrence. He stepped up. He made the decision to turn off his mother’s life support and donate her organs. He organised the funeral on his birthday.

”We have that connection now, on that day,” he said.

He applied to be the legal guardian of his brothers and set about trying to keep them together at home with some extra jobs, putting on hold his studies to become a teacher.

Blake, Jarrod and Dylan Lawrence were orphaned in March, but eldest Jarrod, 19, took responsibility for the boys and the mortgage. Picture: Bradley Hunter

Natalie and Chris Lawrence on their wedding day

He learnt to mop floors and use the washing ­machine. He became his brothers’ carer, comforter, homework enforcer, disciplinarian and note signer.

“I didn’t realise how much signing there was when you’re a parent,” he said.

Jarrod’s friend and former teacher Peter Aroney said Jarrod’s reaction was selfless.

“He wanted to keep his brothers together and he was willing to give up his dream of being a teacher to make that happen,” Mr Aroney said.

Help for the boys came from an unexpected quarter.

News of their situation reached Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O.

A Current Affair also aired their story, leading to enough donations to pay off the mortgage and allow Jarrod to continue his studies. Now the brothers have been nominated for a Medal of Courage in the Pride of Australia awards. Three months on and Jarrod is settling into his role as guardian.

He takes on the household tasks so the boys can focus on school and keeps a clean house, with his mother’s pictures of the boys as ­babies still covering the walls.

They are still coming to grips with losing their mum.

Jarrod is grateful to the teachers who helped him through his tough times, and wants to offer the same help to other young people who are struggling.