By ANEEKA SIMONIS
IT wasn’t long ago young Pakenham boy Deakin Coe was bound to his wheelchair.
But the horror crash that turned the eight-year-old and his family’s life on its head is far behind them now as he enjoys all the fun things a youngster would.
Hanging upside down on the monkey bars, Deakin can hardly contain his excitement for his upcoming holiday sponsored by the Starlight Foundation’s Make-A-Wish initiative.
He has chosen to go to Queensland with Dad Simon Coe and his five-year-old twin sisters Peyton and Zara – a treat to reward months of bravery and hard work, recovering from life-threatening injuries sustained from a horror crash in October last year.
Deakin, a Pakenham Consolidated School student, was tragically struck by an oncoming car on his way to school on Tuesday 6 October last year.
His injuries were life-threatening.
He sustained two fractures to the right side of his pelvis, brain trauma, a fractured elbow and neck injuries which left him in a neck brace and wheelchair for several months following a long hospital stay.
Deakin said his first port of call while he was in the sunshine state was visiting Sea World.
His goal: to free the orcas.
“I want to set them free,” said Deakin, eager to continue playing at the John Street playground.
He also hopes to get to Dream World and Movie World in addition to snorkelling on the Queensland reef during his interstate holiday funded by Make-A-Wish.
Buzzing with excitement, the only flaw Deakin could point out was not being able to take his girlfriend, Shimmer, 10.
The Grade 4 student – who returned to school late last year for a couple of hours a day – had his first full-day on Thursday 11 February following approval from his neurologist and physiotherapist.
Deakin, whose bike was destroyed in the life-changing collision, is back riding again – having received a new bike at Christmas time.
Pakenham Consolidated School also rallied together to buy him a helmet and scooter in the days following the accident.
