Support grows for KZN man injured in Vietnam
The family of a KwaZulu-Natal man who is currently being treated in a Vietnam hospital says they are overwhelmed by the responses and public support that they have received.
Community members have rallied around the Howick family after Brad Purchase was seriously injured in a biking accident in the capital city, Hanoi this week.
He sustained multiple fractures to his jaw and ribs and was placed in coma.
His sister, Shannon says 28-year-old Purchase went there to teach English.
"He has a badly broken jaw - it was broken in five places. The surgeon had to pull out dozens of 2mm fragments of bone - so it looks like the jaw took a lot of the impact and hopefully saved some of the impact on his brain. He has three broken ribs - one of which has caused a lesion on his lung."
She says the former DUT graphic design student is slowly showing signs of progress.
"In the beginning, he was in a coma and non-responsive. He would squeeze someone's hand if they said 'Brad, can you hear me. I'm here.' It looks like he is trying to open his eyes and every now and then he opens them but it seems that he can't focus on anything. My mom took a spoon of soup and placed it on his lips and he did try to sip it. So, he is aware of what's going on but he is asleep most of the time," she said.
Shannon says there are still obstacles ahead.
A representative from the South African Embassy in Hanoi will meet with Purchase's mother, Kath today. She arrived to be at Brad's side yesterday.
If you would like to get involved in the fundraising initiative - visit the Support Brad Vietnam page for more information.