On November 1, 12-year-old Amelia Yeoman was told to dive into a 1.2 metre deep pool during a swimming lesson organised by her primary school.
She suffered fractures in her C5, C6 and C7 vertebrae, causing severe trauma to her spinal cord. The school girl was airlifted to the Royal Children’s Hospital, and now has no movement below the armpits.
“We’re trying to stay positive, but my biggest fear is that she may never be able to walk again,” her mother, Rebecca O’Connor, told the Herald Sun.
Ms O'Connor said the incident had turned her life "upside down", and she is now considering taking legal action against the swim school.
"I feel very angry, but the anger gets me nowhere and I need to stay strong for Milly. You send your kids to a place you trust, and you never think something like this would ever happen," she said.
Milly's aunt has set up a GoFundMe page to help the family pay for her medical costs. Doctors have told the family Milly will have to stay in hospital over Christmas, and could be in there until March.
"At 12 years old, Milly Yeoman is the bravest young girl I have ever met," Belinda Arnel wrote on the page.
"While the rest of her classmates are celebrating finishing Grade 6 and are preparing for high school, Milly is instead dealing with a heartbreaking situation that no young girl or her family should ever have to face. She has been so brave, and words cannot adequately express how proud we are of her."
Milly's mother has had to give up her job to be by her daughter's bedside, while her father travels back and forth to the hospital from Ballarat.
"The unexpected nature of what’s happened is taking its toll on the family, so I have decided to step in and try to ease the huge financial pressures they are facing," Belinda said.
So far, the family has raised over $33,000 to help aide in Milly's treatment and recovery.
Top Comments
That's a pretty shallow pool for diving, especially with a younger person who might not know how to dive and stay shallow.
Here's hoping for a full recovery.
Exactly, I swim in a pool that depth, and there are signs saying "NO DIVING". I was race swimming at that age, I could safely dive into it, but someone not taught to dive for a race tends to go straight down.