A MOTHER-of-four whose eldest son severed his foot in a freak accident last month has thanked the community for their generosity in helping him get back on his feet.
Scott Turner, 14, suffered horrific injuries when he fell from a 12-foot fence at his home in Finchampstead on September 17.
He has since been receiving treatment at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford with his mother, Vickie Robertson, at his bedside.
Within hours of the accident, Ms Robertson’s friends sprang into action, setting up a fundraising page to raise money for her parking and transport fees while visiting Scott in hospital, and to help the family with any costs incurred during his ongoing rehabilitation.
Scott was hoping to leave hospital on Thursday to celebrate his birthday surrounded by his siblings, but the family’s home will need modifications to aid his ongoing recovery before he is discharged.
His mother called Scott’s recovery a ‘miracle’ and said she was ‘blown away’ by the generosity shown to her family through the fundraising page, which has so far raised nearly £6,000.
Ms Robertson, who won a Civic Award last year for her work in rehousing refugee families within Wokingham, said: “I am so happy to have Scott, and for him to still have his foot and to be able to walk again one day.
“It’s a miracle really.
“I have been staying most nights at his bedside for the last few weeks, and I will be driving back and forth every day now until he comes home.
“Thanks to the kind people who donated, we have just spent the night in Oxford staying with the kids so we could all have the day on Saturday and Sunday together.
“We can’t thank everyone enough for that.”
“I am forever grateful and it’s been a huge weight off my mind, wondering how on Earth I can do it all on my own with the kids.
“I have never felt so supported in my life when I need it the most.
“We’ve also been able to buy a new standing basketball hoop for the play room for everyone to use once Scott is home, as there isn’t much for a teenager to do when in a wheelchair.
“I just want to say a huge thank you to Nikki [Webb] who organised the fund, to all my friends who have helped with the kids and everyone in the community who has helped by sending messages, love, food, lifts and sharing the fund on social media.
“I thought that winning the Civic Award was the most amazing thing I could ever receive from the community, but I was wrong!
“Our journey could have been a very different one from what it has been.”
To donate visit www.gofundme.com/scott-turners-recovery-fund.
