Sydney boy Nicholas Tadros is in a critical but stable condition a day after he was due for surgery following the helicopter crash that killed his mother and three others on the Gold Coast.
The 10-year-old is one of three survivors who were in a helicopter that collided with another chopper and crashed into a sandbar near Sea World on January 2.
Four people died including his mother Vanessa Tadros, 36, Britons Ron and Diane Hughes, 65 and 57, and 40-year-old pilot Ashley Jenkinson.
Nicholas’ lungs were flooded with aviation fuel but their capacity has improved over the past few days and he was transferred on the weekend to Queensland Children’s Hospital for an operation on Tuesday.
His father Simon Tadros told friends it would be a “major test” with five surgeries for broken bones in his left hand and both legs, which are broken in multiple places.
Nicholas’ condition has been “critical” since the crash, but he appeared to have slightly improved as of Wednesday.
“Nicholas Tadros is in a critical but stable condition,” a hospital spokesperson told AAP.
Simon Tadros’ friend Charlie Bakhos invited people to pray a special rosary for Nicholas at St Charbel’s Monastery Punchbowl, in southwest Sydney, on Wednesday night.
“For his recovery and to give his family strength during this time,” he wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.
“Everyone is welcome.”
Nine-year-old Victorian boy Leon de Silva, who was in the same helicopter as Nicholas, is in a stable condition at the hospital after suffering a brain injury in the accident.
Leon’s mother Winnie, 33, is also stable in a Gold Coast hospital after undergoing another operation for her injuries that include two broken legs, a damaged left knee, a broken right shoulder and a broken collarbone.
Meanwhile, the mourning families of Ron and Diane Hughes, who are due to travel to Australia to organise the repatriation of their remains, warn scammers have set up fake fundraising appeals for the couple.
They said someone set up a fake Facebook profile for Ron’s daughter Faye Hughes and was sending private messages to people asking for money.
“If you get a request or link from anybody associated with the family about a “GoFundMe” or “SpotFund” this has been sent from fake accounts … so please don’t donate to these,” multiple family members posted on Facebook on Monday night.
“At this time the family of both Diane and Ron have no plan to set up any such pages. Please report anything you see.”
British-born Mr Jenkinson will be farewelled by family and friends at a funeral service in Southport on Friday afternoon.
The Air Transport Safety Bureau is probing the crash and expects to complete its investigation between July and September 2024.
