“I’m not a miracle child – I just survived a traumatic accident.”
That’s how 14-year-old Zoe Hoffman describes her journey and surviving life-threatening injuries including a broken neck and nearly losing her leg in a horrific accident more than 12 months ago.
The teenager was hit by a four-wheel-drive while riding her bike on a Sunday afternoon in November. She was racing her brother and neighbour down a hill in North Mackay when she rode out in front of a car – the driver didn’t have time to brake.
Dad Luke remembers a frantic phone call from her younger brother to say Zoe had been seriously injured.
“I drove straight to the accident site – it was horrific. There were people standing around her and there was lots of blood and the extent of her injuries was quite evident,” he said.
“My heart sunk as I just knew she was in a very bad way.”
Zoe’s injuries were extensive and included serious spinal, head and abdominal issues, a broken femur and nose as well as a compound fracture of her right ring finger.
“She was taken to surgery straight away at Mackay Base Hospital for the internal bleeding and to stitch up her abdomen which took about eight hours,” Luke said.
“They told me the good news was she had pulled through, but the bad news was she had an extremely high chance of losing her leg due her broken femur and restricted blood flow.
“It shattered me; we went from one extreme to the other.”
Zoe was flown to Townsville University Hospital by the Royal Flying Doctor Service for surgery to save her leg and spent 15 days in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). She also had a halo (head brace) fitted for seven weeks to stabilise her spine, neck and head.
“The doctors referred to it as an internal decapitation – no vertebrae were broken and there was no damaged to Zoe’s spinal cord, but all the ligaments and tendons were damaged,” Luke said.
“Wearing a helmet saved her life, but she did suffer a traumatic brain injury which meant she lost some function of her tongue. That palsy got in the way of her speech and affected her swallowing for a while.”
Luke never left Zoe’s side and is keenly aware of how important it was for him to be allowed to travel with her on the flight north that day.
“I was struggling to cope as it was – if I had to travel by road with that burden on my mind it would have destroyed me. I couldn’t imagine it.”
Zoe spent 12 weeks in hospital, two months in a wheelchair and was on a liquid diet for three months. She has endured 10 surgeries, the most recent only a week ago to insert a plate to straighten her leg.
“I had to learn how to walk again,” Zoe said.
“Dad embarrassed me in front of the whole children’s ward in Townsville when he shouted ‘my baby is taking her first steps’; everyone started cheering for me.”
Despite her incredible resilience, life has changed a lot for Zoe since her accident. She has ongoing learning difficulties and issues with her vision, but she’s optimistic about life returning to normal. She’s even back on her bike.
“The only thing I remember about the day of the accident was talking to dad about me signing up to play football – I can never play now which really sucks,” she said.
Luke said it had been a very challenging journey; but describes Zoe’s treatment as “absolutely awesome”.
“She had more gifts for Christmas than she’s ever had before despite the situation. We couldn’t have asked for better care – she was completely loved and looked after both in Townsville and in Mackay,” he said.
Zoe’s recovery is still ongoing and includes regular visits to Mackay Base Hospital for physiotherapy.
“We’ve been to hell and back but the way Zoe has coped with it all makes me proud,” Luke said.
“I get upset when I see all the scars and I can’t help but wonder how she will cope when she’s a bit older and more mature.
“She nearly lost her life, nearly lost her leg, she had a broken neck and brain damage; but she beat them all. That is testament to just how tough she is.”
