Dustin Cole-Putland, 6, spent months without part of his skull after brain bleed

On a family holiday, little Dustin began screaming in the back seat of the car. He ended up having to have part of his skull removed for months.

Dustin Cole-Putland suddenly felt immense pain while he was heading on a family holiday – doctors discovered he experienced a brain bleed. Picture Kelly Barnes

Tina Cole was driving with her kids to Millicent for a family holiday when her youngest child Dustin suddenly started screaming in pain.

When she stopped the car to pull him out he began to feel dizzy and collapsed in her arms.

Ms Cole screamed for her daughter Alexis, 9, to call an ambulance.

“He’d be coming in and out of consciousness and just be screaming in pain,” Ms Cole said.

The ambulance arrived and brought Dustin Cole-Putland to Mount Barker Hospital before MedSTAR picked him up and brought him to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

“By the time I got there I walked into PICU, they said ‘he’s had a CT and there’s been a brain bleed, neurosurgeons are on their way’,” the 37-year-old said.

Dustin, 6, and his mum Tina Cole at Ronald McDonald House while he’s going through treatment. Picture: Kelly Barnes

Ms Cole “kept it together” while signing all the documents, but as soon as her then-five-year-old went in for surgery to drain fluid from his brain, she went outside and “bawled her eyes out”.

Dustin was still experiencing immense, life-threatening pressure in his brain two days later, so on April 16 this year, doctors removed part of his skull.

“He had no skull piece for four months so he had to wear a helmet,” his mum said.

“It was like a baby soft spot but the whole side of his head.”

Dustin was in hospital for five weeks total, before moving to Ronald McDonald House for weeks of intense rehab where he went on to celebrate his sixth birthday.

Later, in August, Dustin had surgery to fuse his skull piece back where he spent a further 25 days in hospital after some complications.

“We spent 137 days in the Ronald McDonald House,” Ms Cole said. “We definitely couldn’t have done it without them.”

Ms Cole and her children live more than an hour away in Aldinga Beach.

Staying close to the hospital was not just a convenience for the young family but a matter or life and death.

“With the nature of having no skull piece in, if he’s (Dustin) fallen or hits his head we had minutes not hours to get to hospital,” Ms Cole said. “It was a lot more dangerous.”

The Ronald McDonald House Charity Shine Bright Gala Ball will be on September 16. Picture Kelly Barnes

Executive officer of Ronald McDonald House Charities SA Melissa Monkhouse said she was so pleased the House was able to provide accommodation to Ms Cole and her family.

“While Ronald McDonald House SA has previously only been able to accommodate families that live further than 100km away from the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, we are now working closely with the hospital to ensure families within the 100km radius can be as close by as possible,” she said.

“No parent should have the added stress of commuting long distances to visit their child when in hospital and this is why it’s vital we receive funding to ensure our doors are always open to those who need it.”

It costs $160 per night to provide accommodation to families in need.

Ronald McDonald House Charities SA is hosting the Shine Bright Gala Ball on Saturday September 16 to raise funds.

The evening will be hosted by Rebecca Morse with live entertainment by Samantha Jade and plenty of items available in their silent and live auctions.

All funds raised will help families like Dustin’s to have a home-away-from-home.

Tickets to the Gala can be purchased here.

Originally published as Dustin Cole-Putland, 6, spent months without part of his skull after brain bleed