Max du Preez: Of Kids & Trampolines

​My good friend and pro-blogger colleague, Vicki Warner of WarnerWords, keeps me updated on many of the business and social happenings on the Sunshine Coast of BC, Canada. After spending a few weeks there with Vicki and her husband (author, Bob Scott), I’ve maintained my interest in the area, and love being kept up to date with the area’s indie biz community and events.

Vicki and Bob aren’t from the Sunshine Coast and have no family there, which is the reason behind the excitement and happiness Vicki expressed several weeks ago when she told me a local greenhouse we’re both fans of, had new owners. Vicki had met them and was thrilled to discover they’re from the area where she grew up in South Africa and have marital ties to Vicki’s immediate family there.

This was wonderful news for both families on the Sunshine Coast and also for their kin back in South Africa. Not only do they have familial ties, they share a love for gardening so, their arrival and setting up their new business is a blessing to the family as well as the residents on the Sunshine Coast who will reap the benefits of having them as a part of the growing indie biz community there.

The family had made great sacrifice to get to British Columbia, which included pooling their assets to move to Canada and open a business there, the Quality Garden and Pet shop located at 325 Pratt road in Gibsons, BC, Canada.

The increasing trouble and civil unrest in South Africa has caused many families that can manage it, to pack up and move to a more safe and productive environment. Not only do these migrations include the expense of monies in getting people and belongings from one place to another, but also include the pain of saying goodbye to close family and friends, pets and so on.

It’s often a painful thing to even willingly pack up and leave one’s homeland, knowing it will be a permanent move and the area and its people might never be visited again. When they arrive in their new home, which is often another country they may have never been in before, they have to go through the sometimes uncomfortable transition of finding a place to live and work, get familiar with the area and get acquainted with the locals.

The new arrivals had gotten themselves fairly situated and opened their new business, when the youngest in the family, four-year-old Max, experienced a tragedy.

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​Kids & Trampolines

Max du Preez

​Trampolines are a common aspect of many lawns here in the rivers’ land. Both kids and adults bounce around on them. Sometimes they have safety nets and spring-covers, and and sometimes not. I’ve noticed the nets and spring covers tend to be on the larger, taller ones, but not on the ones smaller in diameter and only a short distance off the ground.

A trampoline in our neighbor's yard is an good example of safety-aspects available for trampolines. It has high-safety netting all around it and safety pads totally covering the springs. There is only one way in and out, through a small entrance that prevents bounce-out.

The day before little Max was due to begin pre-school at his new school, he sustained a severe head trauma when he bounced off a trampoline and took a blow to his head when he landed, possibly on a rock.

That was all it took to nearly kill him.
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His injuries caused (among other things) coma and blindness. I’ll leave off what else because those two are profound enough to give you an accurate assessment of Max's trauma and the challenges he's facing to get well.

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Max and his family

Frans and Danni du Preez, Max and his big brother, Zach.

​Moving forward

CLICK THE PIC to visit Max's Go Fund Me page.

​Moving forward

Being born has its risks and my personal opinion is that no healthy child should have to grow up in a bubble. However, when it’s possible to keep the injuries down to scraped elbows and knees in comparison to more serious ones, most of us do our best to keep little ones as happy and healthy as possible, while allowing them to learn, grow and have fun in the process.

Max’s family certain didn’t anticipate such a thing happening to him. No one was at fault. But, since it did happen, a good thing that can come of it is awareness of the dangers of home trampolines that aren’t kid-safe.

An injury can occur with nearly anything a kid comes into contact with, but with simple devices like helmets, knee and elbow pads, shin guards and training wheels, the risk of injuries can also be greatly reduced. Trampolines are fun and when they’re low to the ground, they look harmless but, as Max is proof, they aren’t. Safety measures are a must, or it’s best to not have one.

The du Preez family is new to Canada, and has not yet accumulated enough time to be granted citizen-funded medical care. Therefore, they're out-f-pocket responsible for the thousands of dollars a day being incurred for Max’s hospital stay and treatments.

His parents, have been able to stay at a Ronald McDonald House in Vancouver, near the hospital Max is recovering in.

How to help ☺

​Whether a chunky-donation or a small one, even tiny bits help. If you have a dollar to spare, and 100 other people have a dollar to spare, that’s, well, $100 the family can make wonderful use of in meeting a variety of needs.

I hope you’ll not only feel moved to make a donation through Max’s Go Fund Me page by clicking here, but that you’ll share this post with your friends and family.

Past the donations, I implore you to please remember Max and his family in prayer. They're Christian people, and their situation is a wonderful opportunity to exercise your faith and prayer muscles on their behalf.

This little Sunshine Coast family consists of Max, his big brother Zach, parents Frans and Danni du Preez and grandparents, Clive and Sharon Curry.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 KJV​)

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​The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16 KJV)

​ShoutOuts

​☙ Public & Community Health Nursing via marcoujor’s musings

​☙ Try Lewisias when the ground gets tough! via WarnerWords​

​☙ Stuff Accumulation via RainsWriter

Finish Line!

That's it for this one!

God bless you, thanks for the read and see you next week!

​femmeflashpoint