Chelsea Ferguson: 'Hero' mom battles to save her leg after she rescues daughter, 4, from being struck by car
WESTPORT, NEW ZEALAND: A mother of four who pushed her four-year-old daughter, Pippa, to stop her from being hit by an approaching car while on vacation by taking the full force of the impact is now fighting to save her leg. Chelsea Ferguson, 29, who was strolling across a supermarket car parking with her four children in Westport, New Zealand, was struck by a car being driven by an elderly driver.
Due to bearing the entire force of being struck by a car, Ferguson sustained serious injuries. Her femur suffered a compound fracture, shattered her shin, and her arteries also sustained injuries. Jessica Irons, her sister told, Chelsea, who was on vacation when the tragedy occurred, is a hero for rescuing her young daughter, reported Daily Mail.
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"They came on holiday to New Zealand because our other sister was due to have a baby, so she came over to be part of her birth," Irons said. "She was walking out of the supermarket and back to the car when she heard the screech of [a car] accelerating and instinctively threw her daughter out of the way, saving her life. She doesn’t remember doing it but she absolutely saved her life. Her motherly instincts kicked in and next thing she knows she is waking up in Nelson Hospital," the sister further added.
Since the incident, Ferguson has endured five surgeries. The first involved using an artery from her thigh that was implanted in her shin to try to save her leg after it had been cut off from the blood supply for six hours. On Friday, Ferguson underwent a second surgery to have a muscle from her back's lateral region removed and wrapped around her leg. The physicians predict that the surgery will save her limb 80% of the time, but she still has a 12-month recovery period in front of her. Ferguson, who was born in New Zealand, has lived in Australia since 2008.
Irons describes her sister as "an amazing beam of brightness," a "great mother and human being," and someone who would sacrifice anything for anyone. "She is just so beautiful and would give anything to anyone," Irons said. "She has just been a surrogate for two guys from NSW and gave them a baby boy. Just goes out of her way to make sure she gives her kids anything they ever need, she is just so so strong." The Queensland mother of four now finds herself in a dire financial situation due to the length of her recovery. "While her healthcare covers her medical stay, both she and her husband are out of work and must make mortgage payments and provide for their four young children without an income," Irons added.
While Ferguson receives medical care and rehabilitation, the family will continue to live together in New Zealand. Irons claims that the family is unsure of how they would cover ongoing living costs or the children's education. "As for the kids we don’t know if they are going to end up going to school here, we have no idea, all we know is she is recovering in the hospital," Irons said. Chelsea's husband Matt told Daily Mail Australia that the whole situation is "a bit of a nightmare."
A fundraiser has been set up to help the Ferguson family, who are going through a challenging financial time. Through the fundraiser, more than $32,000 has already been raised.