THE FAMILY of a 16-year-boy who is in a coma after falling off a children's ride at his local park spent Christmas day at his bedside in hospital.
Sam Richards, of Mundon Road in Maldon, fractured his skull after falling off a ride at the Oak Tree Meadow play area in September.
The Plume School pupil was put into a drug-induced coma but his recovery is amazing his family, who raised more than £5,000 at a recent event to help his rehabilitation.
Victoria Alkas, Sam's aunt, said: "Sam just continues to overwhelm us with how well he is doing.
"He is still in hospital but is ready to come home soon which is where he needs to be now, to start his rehabilitation.
"We spent Christmas in hospital with him, just as we've spent every day since the accident."
Sam had been playing in the park with friends on the evening of September 28, when the accident happened, and was rushed to Queen's Hospital, Romford, where he was put into a coma.
His family held a Christmas bazaar last week at the Berwick Suite, behind the Swan Hotel in Maldon, to raise vital funds to aid his recovery.
Mother-of-one Mrs Alkas added: "The event was phenomenal. We could not have asked for a better turnout and everyone who was involved was absolutely brilliant.
"We have raised, combined with raffle tickets and selling things that people have donated, £5,511 which is fantastic.
"We only had a target of £3,000 so we've smashed that.
"We've felt quite helpless when visiting Sam, so it was great for the family to be able to do something.
"We were quite a close family before Sam's accident, but we've all pulled together to support each other."
But the family still do not know the full extent of the damage done by Sam's accident.
Mrs Alkas, who lives in Heybridge, added: "If you break your leg they put it in a cast and know in so many weeks it will be okay, but that's not the case with brain injuries.
"We don't know if Sam will make a full recovery yet, but he has age on his side and he's already exceeding expectations.
"And we know he'll give his recovery 110 per cent."
