Having William home after he suffered life-changing injuries in a crash is the only gift the Brain family say they need this Christmas.
The 17-year-old was heading home from Stamford College in Drift Road when he came off his motorbike while riding past the Borderville Sports Centre in Ryhall Road.
The crash, which involved a Mini Cooper car, happened just before 4pm on Wednesday, November 26.
William was airlifted to Addenbrooke’s Hospital near Cambridge by the Magpas helicopter.
He had suffered brain damage, two spinal fractures, fractured wrists and a broken collar bone.
His nose was broken and badly cut, and he had further cuts and bruises to his right eye.
He also had a punctured lung and other wounds to his body.
Despite the extent of the injuries, William made a good start to his recovery, and is now back at home in William Fisher Avenue in Bourne, with his mum Catherine, dad James, and 12-year-old sister Ella.
“Having him home is the best Christmas gift we could wish for,” said Catherine, who is supporting William until he is well enough to return to college next year.
“We spent two weeks with him while he was at Addenbrooke’s, and for the first five days he wasn’t really awake – he was just lying there on oxygen.
“It’s difficult to say what goes through your mind after something this terrible happens. His injuries were horrendous.”
James, who works for Ayliff’s Garage at The Slipe, Bourne, had received a call from Stamford College to say their son was ‘very seriously injured’ in a crash.
The couple tried to speak with the police to find out more, and drove to Stamford while repeatedly calling William’s mobile.
Eventually, a member of the Magpas team answered their son’s phone and said he was being stabilised and would be flown to Addenbrooke’s.
“I felt numb,” said Catherine. “After we saw him, James drove straight to the hospital and I stayed with William until he was loaded into the helicopter, then the police took me to Addenbrooke’s to be with him again.
“I can’t remember anything about what was going through my mind.”
Thanks to The Children’s Trust, which provides parents of sick children with accommodation near Addenbrooke’s, Catherine and James managed to stay with William while he was in hospital.
James’s company allowed him time off, and the couple used savings and money set aside for Christmas to cover their expenses for the fortnight.
Fortunately, the day before the accident Catherine had made both William and Ella advent calendars with some small gifts.
And since then a friend of the family, Jo Wakefield from West Pinchbeck, has started a GoFundMe page with the aim of raising £800, to help the family afford some Christmas food and to cover savings they spent on fuel and food while supporting William in hospital.
“We spent everything we had,” said Catherine. “Plans to have family over for Christmas probably won’t happen – what would we give people to eat?”
Meanwhile, William will continue to take painkillers during the day and three times a night while his spine, knee, wrist and head injuries heal.
According to William, Stamford College has been ‘amazing’, and one of the teachers was due to visit at the weekend.
“I had started making a tree decoration in carpentry, and the other people in my class finished it for me and delivered it,” said William, who is enrolled on a carpentry course at the college while he completes an academic qualification, which will allow him to move on to study a higher level mechanics course.
William also works at weekends at Harrington House Care Home in Bourne.
His mum admits that when he gets back on a motorbike – something William is keen to do – she will feel ‘emotional’, but she doesn’t want to stop him doing the things he wants to.
“I would like to raise awareness of motorbike safety,” Catherine said.
“On the day of his accident, William was wearing all the right bike gear – and complete luminous yellow.
“It used to be the case that there were motorcycle safety adverts everywhere, warning people to ‘Think Bike’ but I haven’t seen them so much lately.”
A police investigation into the circumstances of the crash is ongoing.
To donate to the GoFundMe page to support the Brain family this Christmas, visit gofund.me/1ac7a95ee
