WHILE the long road to recovery has just begun for crash survivor Jack Thorne, the teenager’s focus has currently shifted to football with the Western Border Grand Final approaching this weekend.
A member of the West Gambier 17 and under football side, Jack, 17, was airlifted to Adelaide last month after he was involved in a serious crash in which his car struck a tree alongside Worrolong Road.
Placed in a coma for several days with bleeding to the brain, lacerations to several major organs, five pelvic fractures, a broken vertebrae and a broken arm, Jack’s mother Susan Thorne said her son’s life was in the balance.
“The day of the accident was the worst day of our lives, it was just like living a nightmare that day wondering if he was going to survive,” Ms Thorne said.
“You also wonder at the time whether he is ever going to be able to walk again and if his brain is going to recover.”
Labelled a fighter by many friends and family, Jack did push through during the early days and has now returned to Mount Gambier Hospital, where he is expected to make a full recovery.
“I’m not really sure how I got through it to be honest because I have seen photos of the car and I just think ‘how did i get out of there?'” Jack said.
“I have a lot of people to thank, but particularly the medical staff at both hospitals and the Royal Flying Doctor Service for getting me up to Adelaide and back to Mount Gambier and ultimately keeping me alive.”
Since returning to the region last week, Jack’s mind has now turned to how he can be part of the grand final this weekend.
“Not to be able to watch the game at Casterton is pretty devastating for him, but he is hoping he will get to go see the team after the match,” Ms Thorne said.
“They have been letting us know how they have been going in games and I think the coach has read messages out to the team about Jack’s recovery, which has given them a boost.”
Jack will spend the next 48 hours finding the strength to get in a car so he can be driven to the West Gambier Football Club on Saturday for what will potentially be premiership celebrations.
“He will have a practice run this afternoon at getting into a car and then hopefully he can get to West Gambier on Saturday to celebrate a victory with the Rooboys,” Ms Thorne said.
Jack is hopeful his team can beat a formidable South Gambier side.
“I hope they can win, but I know it will be a very tough game because we didn’t beat South this year,” he said.
His inspiring message for the team was simple.
“Just go in hard and do your best boys,” Jack said.
Beyond the weekend, Jack still has dreams of his own to continue playing football once his recovery is complete.
“I just want to get walking first and then after that just try and get back to how I was before the accident,” he said.
“Getting back to work is a goal of mine and I definitely want to try and get back to footy next year.”
Jack and his mother were in full praise of his employer K & S Corporation for allowing him to return to work once he has made a recovery.
“He had only been at his apprenticeship three weeks, so we were really impressed that they said ‘no matter how much time he needs, we’ll put his apprenticeship on hold’,” Ms Thorne said.
“We were really worried that if he lost his job it would have been a big blow for him mentally.”
The pair extended their gratitude to the wider Mount Gambier community.
“I just want to thank the whole Mount Gambier community because their support has been overwhelming,” Ms Thorne said.
“Even in the first few hours, we had family, friends and people from his work at the hospital, which just shows there is something really special about country communities.”
