MORE than $10,000 has been raised for Roma teenager Brock Irwin who suffered critical head injuries when his ute crashed while near Rolleston two weeks ago.
The 18-year-old was flown to Brisbane’s PA Hospital and was put in an induced coma due to his severe head injuries, collapsed lung and bleeding to the brain.
He underwent surgery to relieve the pressure and after a week in an induced coma is now awake and speaking. While his vision is still blurry, his family are confident it won’t need surgery.
Brock will now begin intensive physio, speech and occupational therapy with his parents, Cindy and Ron, supporting him along the way.
The keen footballer’s injuries have left the Roma community in shock with local sporting groups and individuals organising fundraising events for the Irwin family.
Teams in the Roma Touch Football Club grand finals this week, a sport which Brock also plays, donated $3200 worth of their winnings to Brock’s fight, boosting the GoFundMe page donations over $10,000.
The GoFundMe page was set up by Roma’s Sonya Lucht on Sunday and had already reached $7000 by Tuesday.
She said Brock’s parents, Ron and Cindy, were in Brisbane with their son and would need financial support during his recovery.
She said they were major contributors to the community and deserved to have the favour returned.
“Anywhere you look, they have been part of the community,” she said.
“They are just very much community people and are in a hard spot so we want to pull together and give them as much help as we can.”
The apprentice with Stapleton Carpentry & Concreting also plays for the Wallumbilla Surat Red Bulls Rugby League Football Club and a special Irwin Family Day will be held on June 25 with donation buckets, raffles and food and drink available.
The Carnarvon Cubs Junior Rugby League Football Club will also donate half of their canteen profits from games this weekend to the family while the Roma State College are planning a free dress day fundraiser.
To donate visit www.gofundme.com/brocks-battle