Bourne roof fall teen Jack Osborne 'slowly winning his fight' for life
A teenager who was critically injured after falling 25ft through a barn roof is slowly winning his fight for life, his family has said.
Jack Osborne, 14, from Bourne, suffered severe brain trauma, a bruised lung and a broken collarbone while playing with friends at a derelict site near Harvey Close on Tuesday last week (June 9).
He was rushed to hospital and placed into an induced coma before surgeons removed two sections of his skull to ease the pressure.
His uncle, Nick Thompson, said the following day the family had Jack baptised as they were warned he might not survive.
“It was awful; truly tragic,” he said. “The saddest moment of our lives.”
But a week on, Jack is thankfully starting to show signs of improvement.
A planned tracheostomy was not needed, he is breathing without the help of a ventilator and has begun to move his arms and legs.
The family, including mum Karina, dad Dan and brother Josh, are cautiously optimistic that Jack will pull through, although they know his injuries mean he will have disabilities.
They have thanked the residents and businesses of Bourne - not to mention the Chelsea football team - for their love and support throughout the ordeal.
“He’s slowly winning this fight,” Nick said. “Now we have to play a waiting game, start some rehabilitation, and see how much we can wake him over the next week but things are looking so much more positive for our beautiful Jack.
“He will obviously be disabled from this and that is absolutely heartbreaking. But we are just so relieved with the progress he is making, and will be by his side for as long as it takes.
“We all love him dearly and just want our Jack back.”
Recounting the family’s ordeal, Nick said an air ambulance, police, firefighters and paramedics had been called to the scene of the accident before Jack was given a police escort to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.
He had serious brain injuries and was put into an induced coma.
“The pressure in his head was building immensely,” said Nick. “His blood pressure was unstable and was on a lot of drugs to keep him stable.
“The doctors couldn’t stop the brain from swelling and he was taken to theatre for a craniotomy to help relieve the pressure. He’s had portions of his skull removed on both sides leaving just a ‘mohawk’ of skull in the middle. A bolt was also placed in his head to measure the pressure building in his head.”
The pressure started to build again to the point where Jack was having seizures. He was on a ventilator and there was no reaction to light shone in his eyes.
It was at this point that doctors said Jack had to start fighting for himself.
“The doctors were thinking the worst and checking his progress every few minutes,” said Nick. “We had poor Jack baptised on Wednesday after being told to expect the worst and that there wasn’t much left that the medical experts could do.”
On Thursday night he had a CAT and MRI scan, which showed multiple bleeds on the brain and brain trauma.
“Some parts of Jack’s brain were severely damaged, others not so much but still damaged, which was absolutely devastating,” Nick said. “Our poor boy.”
On Friday, with everyone fearing the worst, Jack remarkably remained stable.
There were then even more encouraging signs over the weekend as he began breathing without the aid of a ventilator.
“It was like a miracle,” said Nick. “He started to make some movements too, such as coughing. Then he had slight arms movements which was a great sign.”
On Monday, the medical experts said that despite the improvements a tracheostomy was needed to keep his airways clear. The procedure involves a tube being placed directly through the neck and into the windpipe.
“The surgery was a massive blow as as a family we thought his progress was enough, but we had to do what was best for Jack,” Nick said.
“But then that night Jack made even more progress, and when the consultants came to see him they said they couldn’t believe the progress he had made. He had started moving his arms and hips and he was still breathing by himself perfectly.”
On Tuesday his ventilator tubes were removed, and his condition continues to slowly improve.
“He has shown incredible strength and courage and it couldn’t have gone any better,” added Nick.
“Jack is the most beautiful boy. He is full of love and care, and is completely selfless. He cares about others so much. I’m ridiculously proud to have Jack as my nephew, he’s the best.”
To support Jack's family, visit www.gofundme.com/f/pray-for-jack
