Five-year-old’s frog hunting mission ends in horror injury

A family-of-four have shared how an afternoon at a birthday party quickly changed their entire lives.

Boy’s frog hunting mission ends in horror

A family-of-four have shared how an afternoon at a birthday party quickly changed their entire lives after an accident meant their five-year-old son would never walk again.

Holly Bycroft had taken her oldest child, daughter Quinn, to a birthday party at a friend’s house. When it was time for pick-up, she brought along her younger child, five-year-old Vance.

There was another little boy to play with, and so the pair ran off on an adventure. Not too long after, the other child ran towards the group of parents, yelling for his own mum.

“We didn’t actually see what had happened, and the events were from a five-year-old who was with Vance at the time,” Holly told news.com.au.

“My understanding is they were frog hunting, and the house had a big garden statue on either side at the entry of their veranda.”

The statue is believed to have fallen on Vance, catching him head-on.

Vance was frog hunting with a friend when a statue fell. Picture: Supplied

After Vance’s friend screamed for help she found her son laying on his back on the concrete. Vance was conscious but the typically bubbly and active child was now very quiet. As soon as he was in Holly’s arms he began to cry.

“We thought his shoulder looked like it was either dislocated or he had a broken collar bone. We took precautions and rung an ambulance,” she said, adding there was a graze and bump on his head, but it hadn’t split.

Holly’s husband Matt is a FIFO worker and away at work, getting ready to knock off and head out for a drink when he got a call that he says he very nearly didn’t answer.

“It wasn’t Holly. It was one of our friends on the other end of the line,” Matt said.

“She said there was an accident and I thought ‘oh, what’s he done’ thinking something was broken. Then she said they’d called an ambulance.”

The family are all about the outdoors. Picture: Supplied

It became very real very quickly and Matt quickly organised to meet his wife and child at the Perth Children’s Hospital.

His flight didn’t land in Perth until the next afternoon.

He said he knew immediately when he saw Vance that it wasn’t just a broken bone. It was something much more serious.

Vance was scared, as any child would be in that state. He kept trying to talk with a tube down his throat, and he also had a tube in his nose. The primary school student knew something was up.

He was in ICU for eight weeks before he was allowed out onto the ward, and it was a follow-up MRI that revealed that Vance was now tetraplegic, which is when the arms and legs are paralysed due to an injury or illness.

“We adjusted to the new normal. Previous to Vance’s accident he probably would be the definition of an Aussie kid. He loved being outside, loved kicking the footy and on the monkey bars or jumping on the trampoline,” Matt said,

“We were an outdoors family.”

He was rushed to hospital and the family learned he was now paralysed in the arms and legs. Picture: Supplied

Vance was on the ward for five months in addition to his ICU stay. Matt and Holly would take turns, with one in Perth in hospital with Vance and the other spending the week back home on the Western Australian south coast so Quinn could go to school.

The family would reunite in the hospital on the weekends. It was an incredibly difficult time for them with their entire life turned upside down. They were unsure what life would look like at the end of their hospital stay. That’s when they discovered the Starlight Room.

“It was a great place. Vance was into the video games and eventually the Kahoot quizzes, and my daughter loves going there to forget she was at the hospital all the time. The Captains would come and visit,” Holly said.

It also allowed Vance to help understand that he wasn’t the only child that had something life changing happen to him. He was able to observe others and asks his mum questions.

After seven long months, Vance was free to return home. His new way to find solace and entertainment became video games, which the outdoorsy family found hard to adjust to.

His life completely changed. Picture: Supplied

“I think one of the hardest things to Vance is he remembers what life was life. He knows when he’s outside and watching his sister play netball, and it’s like ‘but what do I do,” Holly said.

April was the first month that Vance didn’t have a hospital admission. He has rehab check-ups with the Perth Children’s Hospital team every four months, as well as respiratory consultants, occupational therapist, dietitians and physiotherapists. He also attends regular rehabilitation in Bunbury, where one of the physios does an hour-long session every week at his school.

Holly and Matt are incredibly thankful their son’s school has been supportive, allowing him to be in a mainstream school where “nothing is a problem” when the parents make requests of the principal.

The family spent seven months straight in hospital. Picture: Supplied

That is when they discovered Starlight. Picture: Supplied

“We’re aware Vance is different to his peers, but cognitively he is one of the sharpest in the class. He’s quite quick witted,” Matt said.

The family is sharing their story ahead of Starlight Day on May 21, the charity’s national fundraising day where all donations will be doubled by its partners.

On a recent trip to Perth Children’s Hospital the family discovered that the hours of the Starlight Room had been cut due to a lack of funding. It had become a haven during Vance’s visits.

“I just think it probably touches the heart a little bit to be honest. When you start to take advantage of the things they provide you could be in the worst low of your life and your kids gets to smile for five seconds,” Matt said.

Even Quinn got to enjoy the Starlight Room. Picture: Supplied

Vance is now back home. Picture: Supplied

“I know what that's like to be a parent where essentially for six weeks your child doesn’t smile. So to get them smiling again with whatever activity — just by being idiots or playing video games or drawing pictures.”

Matt said their family was forever in debt to the organisation, knowing they made Vance and Quinn smile, all while knowing there were families in the room who may never take their child home.

“We were nearly one of those families,” he said.

Vance was also granted a Starlight Wish with the family in preparation to head up to Australia Zoo.

Vance’s family are sharing their story in support of Starlight Day on May 21, which aims to raise $1 million by June 30 to help brighten the lives of 26,000 seriously ill children. To donate, visit starlight.org.au