A seven-year-old nearly lost his right foot after slipping underneath the blades of a ride-on lawnmower.
Jett Burgess was planting trees in the backyard with his dad on July 7, the day before his 7th birthday, when he tripped and got caught underneath a ride-on mower.
The thick leather boot he was wearing was shredded, and Jett was left with a mess of bones, sliced tendons and a torn artery.
But quick thinking from dad, a seven-hour surgery and a bit of luck saved Jett’s foot, who says it has made him ‘famous’.
Seven-year-old Jett is lucky to have kept his right foot, after it was shredded under the blades of a ride-on mower. The boot he had on (pictured) was also destroyed
His foot was left as a bloody mess of sliced tendons and shattered bones, with his quick-thinking father, Jeff, wrapping it up in his shirt to put pressure on it
When Jeff lifted the ride-on mower off his son and saw a mess of bone and tendon, his first instinct was to wrap his own shirt around the bloody foot and apply pressure.
He then rushed to Port Macquarie Hospital, a 15-minute trip from the family home, who were able to stabilise the foot.
All the back of his heel bones were shattered but they were still attached to the tendon, which allowed the foot to be saved.
Jett and his parents were then airlifted to Sydney Children’s Hospital, where a 7-hour surgery reattached his Achilles.
Mum, Kylie, has praised her son for being brave, but says that there’s still a long road ahead.
‘It’s just so nice to see him getting back to his normal self but [he] will not be able to walk for at least 6-8 months.’
A very keen soccer player, Jett has already had a couple of break downs in his attempts to get moving again.
‘I do tell him he’s lucky that he still has his foot,’ she says.
‘But I mostly encourage him to try and be brave like he has been and we will be here for him the whole way until he is up and about.’
His family (mum and dad pictured) was able to stay by his side the whole time, thanks to the Ronald McDonald House, Kylie says
The accident happened one day before his 7th birthday, causing the Starlight Foundation (pictured) to throw and emergency party
Jett isn’t expected to make a full recovery for as long as two-and-a-half years, with at least one more surgery scheduled in the coming months.
He’s now back at home with his parents and two sisters, but will require frequent visits to a physiotherapist to stretch the tendon and get walking again.
Kylie says it’s been a ‘long, scary, tiring, tough few weeks’ but is grateful for a lot of support.
Kylie (left) says it’s been a ‘long, scary, tiring, tough few weeks’ but is grateful for a lot of support
Jett is now at home with his sisters (pictured together), and is on the road to recovery
‘The Ronald McDonald house was amazing and helped us stay by his side the whole time,’ she says.
Jett’s 7th birthday was spent in hospital, with the Sydney Children’s Hospital putting together an emergency birthday party for him.
‘This is an amazing room for any kids going through a rough time so this made his treatment & stay so much easier.’