Little Sonya Davis, five, tragically died in hospital on Friday, just four days after a car struck the motorcycle she was travelling on with her grandmother in Thailand.
Sonya was on holiday with her parents, George and Somepong Davis, and big brother Justin, six. The Davis family were staying with relatives on a farm in Northern Thailand when the accident occurred.
Her grandmother was killed instantly on impact and, while Sonya survived the crash, she was left critically injured. She was rushed to hospital and then put on life support.
Her family sat with her in the hospital for five days before she lost her struggle for life and passed away in the early hours of Friday, 22nd January.
Now, the devastated Byron Bay family is asking for financial help to bring their daughter’s body home to Australia.
A “Bring our Sonya Home” campaign has been launched with a My Cause page asking people to help meet the initial fund-raising target of $15,000 — an amount which was surpassed by late Tuesday morning.
With more than 174 donations already pledged, the campaign has raised just over $16,000 for the family.
Sonya’s aunt wrote on the fund-raising page that the family was struggling to come to terms with losing two family members at once.
“The enjoyment of a long anticipated holiday in rural Thailand was tragically cut short for my brother’s family,” she wrote.
“Her mother, father and older brother Justin are utterly devastated.
“Somepong’s grief is doubled having lost both her mother and daughter in this tragic accident.
“We are seeking financial support for George and Somepong to help them at this very difficult time and to help bring their daughter’s body back to Australia.”
To donate to the family, visit their Bring our Sonya Home My Cause Page.
Top Comments
The page says they received $21k, after asking for $15k. People have been very generous, and that's great because its a truly awful situation but I don't get why they needed so much (even with the 'living expenses' they mentioned), or why their travel and/or life insurance wasn't enough.
I feel mean about asking but often these crowdfund appeals ask for $1000s in donations but don't themselves offer much information to their donors. And, I'm not going to give away money to people who won't let me know what's going on: Why is the goal to receive $XX000 ; and; Exactly what will my money be spent on?
While this is an absolute tragedy, it is not the responsibility of others to pay the costs of bringing the child back.