A tragic trampoline accident that left four-year-old Max Du Preez unable to walk or talk has created an outpouring of love and support from the Sunshine Coast community that has greatly touched Max’s parents Danni and Frans.
The Du Preez family, which includes eight-year-old Zach, moved to the Coast from South Africa in February to run the Quality Garden and Pet store and start a new life here. Those plans were put on hold, however, when the accident happened at the Preez’s home in Gibsons on April 2.
“The main reason we wanted to put something in the newspaper is just so the Coast knows how special it’s been for us,” Danni said this week.
“Nothing like moving to a new country and you don’t know anybody, you’ve got little to no support and we’ve just been overwhelmed about the kindness. It’s just amazing and we just want to thank everybody.”
The family is not yet covered by B.C. Healthcare and they’re still unsure if the medical insurance they purchased while in South Africa will pay for any of the hospital bills they’ve incurred to date.
Danni said Coasters have been flooding the family with gifts, donations and prayers since Max’s accident, all of which have made a horrible situation more bearable.
Max was alone jumping on the family trampoline on April 2 when he fell off and hit his head, resulting in swelling and bleeding on the brain.
Max was airlifted to ICU at BC Children’s Hospital where he stayed in an induced coma for about three weeks. Now he’s been moved to Sunny Hill Health Centre where his parents are starting to see some improvement.
During the last two weeks, Max has started to regain the vision he lost in the fall and he is starting to smile and laugh again.
Doctors say he will never walk again or regain his speech but his parents remain hopeful he will.
“The doctor gave us a very, very bleak prognosis. He essentially said that the left side of his brain will not survive. But we’ve just got so much hope and faith that he will overcome it all,” Danni said.
The support of the community has been central to the Du Preez family keeping their spirits up and staying positive.
“The people of the Coast are a very special community,” Danni said. “It’s an unfortunate accident, but with the support that we’ve been receiving we are just motivated to get Max better and we’re hopeful that he will still achieve great things.”
Currently Danni and Frans are staying in Vancouver during the week to be with their son Max while Danni’s parents Clive and Sharon Curry are caring for Zach, who is still attending school on the Coast and visiting his brother Max on the weekends.
If you would like to help support the Du Preez family financially, you can make a donation to the Max Du Preez Trust Fund at the Bank of Montreal, account number 8980-235, transit number 0716. Donations can also be made online at www.gofundme.com/maxdupreez.
Prayers for Max’s recovery are also greatly appreciated by the family.
