Featured Image Credit: (Kennedy News and Media)
Brenna Cooper
A teenager has been left in hospital fighting for his life after taking a shortcut home from the pub while on holiday.
When Brayden Cook travelled to the Peak District with friends for a hiking trip, none of his friends or family could imagine the horrific tragedy that would occur.
On September 26th, the 19-year-old was walking home from a local pub with a friend after enjoying a 'few beers'. While walking, the pair decided to take a quicker route back, which included scaling a 5ft fence.
However, the friends didn't realise a steep drop awaited them on the other side of the fence; so when Brayden jumped over he fell further than expected, hitting his head on the concrete below, knocking him unconscious.
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He was rushed to hospital in Stoke-on-Trent, where a CT scan revealed he'd suffered a bleed on the brain and several facial fractures.
The teenager remains in a coma in an intensive care unit, where his mother Penny anxiously waits for him to wake up.
Recalling the harrowing moment she received the dreaded phone call from Brayden's friends, Penny said: "I went into full throwing-up mode. I was pacing, I felt sick and I collapsed a couple of times. It was just horrible.
"I just saw my little boy lying there with tubes in his mouth and his eye was so swollen. He was lifeless and it was horrible."
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The 49-year-old community physiotherapist added that her son could remain in hospital for the the next six months, with his rehabilitation taking up to a year.
"Luckily the bones [in his face] haven't displaced so they are treating it conservatively and he might not have to have surgery," she continued.
"His left eye was like a football and black and blue. He had three-inch stitches on the left side of his head as well. His face was dark yellow with bruises too."
The mum, who lives in St Ives in Cambridgeshire, went on to explain that Brayden is currently being removed from sedation, however it's a 'waiting game' for him to wake up.
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"It's a bit of a guessing game of how he's going to wake up. I kept asking if he was going to make it and they [the doctors] said they couldn't give me an answer and it was a matter of just waiting," Penny explained.
"I'm in a bit of a catch 22, because I want him to wake up and be okay but I don't want him to wake up and have problems.
"While he's lying there asleep, he has no problems."
A fundraiser has since been set up by friends and family members, with the aim of supporting Penny as she takes time off to remain by her son's side.
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"Because I'm self-employed and I'm not earning [as I'm with Brayden], I still have a house to run and I'm paying for accommodation near the hospital too," she said.
Penny also explained that she wants to use the funds to get her son private neuro-rehabilitation treatment to aid his recovery.
"Brayden also needs supplies and the bulk of the money will go towards his rehab," she added.
You can donate to the fundraiser here.