Nicholas Tadros, 10, who survived SeaWorld helicopter crash that killed 4, including his mother, will have his foot amputated
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: Nicholas Tadros, the 10-year-old boy who survived the SeaWorld tragedy breaking every part of his body and going into a coma, may lose his foot as his father Simon Tadros continues to give him hope. Nicholas lost his mother Vanessa Tadros, 36, in the crash.
Besides Vanessa, pilot Ashley Jenkinson, 40, British newlyweds Ron, 65, and Diane Hughes, 57, were also killed in the incident. On Monday, January 2, they were on the tragic joy flight that collided with another chopper before plunging onto a sandbank in the Gold Coast theme park.
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Last moments before the crash
Simon Tadros, a truck driver, shared the last moments he shared with his wife and son moving host Allison Langdon on Current Affair to tears. "I just gave them both a hug and a kiss and said, 'enjoy it…have fun 'I'll see you when you get back down." The father didn't join them due to his fear of heights.
Moments later he recalled hearing a "big bang" and then detectives informing him of the horror news. "Those were the worst words I've ever heard in my life," he said. "I was terrified. I lost my wife. To lose my son as well, that's my whole life ripped apart, that's everyone gone."
'How he survived is a miracle'
Simon said that Nicholas was keeping his spirits high despite struggling on a day-to-day basis. He said, "He's trying to comprehend still what really happened to him," adding, "He broke nearly everything from top to bottom, you know, his arms, his sternum, his hips, his thighs, his legs, lungs collapsing, even inhaled some of the aviation fuel, so that caused problems for his lungs as well. The only thing I think he didn't really break was his right arm. How he survived is a miracle," he added. At one point in the interview, Simon said that his right leg was the problem and he might lose it as he shared he has lost the count of surgeries Nicholas has undergone. But he's been attempting to explain it to Nicholas in similar terms, "he hasn't spoken a word about it," adding that he's still hoping doctors can find a way to save his limb.
'I don’t leave his bedside until 12, 1 in the morning'
Simon is struggling daily as he grieves for his wife and at the same time spends up till midnight beside Nicholas in the hospital. “It’s been hard, it’s a daily struggle. I don’t leave his bedside until 12, 1 in the morning,” he said. “Even leaving to go lay my wife to rest … it was just hard to keep my mind focused on the one thing, I didn’t want to leave him … but we gotta do what we gotta do.”
‘Where’s mum?’
The hardest point during his recovery was Nicholas asking Simon where his mother was. “He said, ‘Where’s mum?’ Simon said, “I said she was in the crash with you. He said, ‘Yeah, I know, but where’s mum?’ I said, ‘Baby boy, mum had to go to Jesus.’ “And he just turned his head and closed his eyes,” bringing Ally Langdon to tears.
Simon says although he's not in a good place he's "not giving up". To keep his hopes lifted, Andrew Nasr who runs Kazoku Martial Arts Academy in Western Sydney where Nicholas trained has also promised him an honorary blackbelt as he leaves the hospital. "The first thing he said to me when I got there, the first time I got to see him, he goes, 'am I still gonna get my black belt?'" Nasr told A Current Affair host Ally Langdon. "What do you tell the kid? 'Yeah, 100 percent you are'."
Nasr said, "It's probably the one thing that he's holding on to. He loves his martial arts, loves his family, loves all these guys, adding, "We're trying to keep his spirits up," as he also sends video messages to Nikky from his Karate mates. He added that he was 'angry' that Tadros still had to worry about money to pay rent and bills in the midst of his grief and support for his son. He has also set up a GoFundMe for Nicholas. Nicholas is expected to spend over 6 months in the hospital and will need ongoing medical support for the rest of his life.