There is a long road to recovery for Devonport man James Thorp, who was seriously injured in a car crash in the United States, but his mother Rosie says support from around the world has been uplifting.
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The crash on July 16 occurred when a tyre on the van being driven by Mr Thorp’s wife, Taylor Nieri, exploded, causing the vehicle to roll.
The pair was travelling in Ms Nieri’s home state of Oregon and had been married since April. She did not survive the crash.
“Things are steadily improving, it is a tough journey, it really is, but day by day we can see improvement in James’ psychical health,” James’ mother Rosie Thorp said.
She and husband David arrived in the USA a week ago.
“He was been told he has eight weeks until he can weight bear on his two broken legs and after that he has basically got to learn to walk again because the muscles will have lost all their power and strength,” Mrs Thorp said.
“We were with him today when they were looking at his hand and he has tendons that were operated on in his left hand and that will be 12 weeks until he can use that hand, so functioning properly is hard, he really only has his right hand, which he can make good use, of out of his four limbs.
“He also has three broken ribs on both sides as well which impacts on any movement in and out of bed.”
The Thorp family is hopeful that James will be moved to a rehabilitation facility soon because his hospital in Eugene it is a two to two-and-a-half-hour trip by road and about a two and a half hour drive from his wife’s hometown of Sisters.
“Hopefully that one will be closer to where his wife’s celebration of life service will be [on August 6] because that’s out biggest concern for him now, mentally, is that he gets to that celebration of life,” Mrs Thorp said.
The bond between James and his 22-year-old wife was felt by anyone who knew them, his mother said.
“We were with James when he first met her sailing in the Whitsundays … we witnessed him come back from the beach when he first met her and she was with a kayaking group from Bendigo University,” she said.
“He came back with the biggest grin on his face and said ‘I can’t believe I could meet someone and realise this person is amazing in that first instance and feel such a connection’.”
The Thorps hope to get James repatriated home to Tasmania on a care flight as soon as possible.
“The care management team at the hospital here [in Oregon] have been wonderful. It was a bit scary what we might have to do as far as sorting out his travel insurance and getting all that going but they have been amazing.”
Mrs Thorp said Ms Nieri’s family and friends had also been incredibly helpful and kind.
“Her mother met us at the airport when we arrived in Eugene and when we got to the hospital to see our son her father was there, her brother and sister and her cousin and grandmother, they were all there and so supportive,” she said.
“They had stayed by his side until we got here to be with him.”
The family is said to be “blown away” by the messages of support and financial help for James, which have been received from across the globe.
Friends of the pair have rallied together and raised more than $30,000 to support both families with their recovery.
“It was just unbelievable and James was a little embarrassed at first, but in talking to him and explaining how many people are hurting and are so far away and wanted to help, he has come to an acceptance of it,” Mrs Thorp said.
“The messages of support when you are so far away from home is really uplifting.
“James has my iPad every night and he has been spending quite a while checking message, following what people are saying and trying to respond, so he has been appreciating that support.
“It’s been heart-wrenching at times as a reminder of what he has lost but it’s all part of coming to grips with where he is at and it actually shows the positive side of social media.”
It was a poignant day for the family today as James celebrated his birthday.
“We had dinner at the hospital and some of Taylor’s friends came in as well and they have been amazing,” Mrs Thorp said.
“She has got some wonderful young friends here and we hadn’t know her for that long but to meet her friends it makes you realise that she was just an amazing young woman, she really was, because the quality of these friends and how they are helping us in fantastic.”