Imagine spending 467 days stuck in a hospital bed. Or watching a loved one battle whilst you sit and watch feeling helpless

Xavier Cock from Bute was just 12 years old when he was rushed to hospital, little did he know about the 467 day battle he and his family would face fighting for his life in the Women’s and Children’s Hospital (W&CH) after being admitted with a perforated bowel and sepsis in September 2020.

On his first admission, Xavier spent eight weeks at Women’s and Children’s Hospital, before returning home. But this was just the beginning.

Just weeks later, Xavier was rushed back to hospital with severe stomach pains just two days before Christmas 2020 where he spent more time back in the ICU. His body had issues healing due to the infection and connective tissue fragility and a second surgery almost a year later gave Xavier’s body time to heal.

After a huge effort by the cock family, friends and staff at the women’s and children’s hospital  X-Man is now home sleeping in his own bed!

The care for Xavier must continue at home primarily led by his mum Krystal. He is also completing a rigorous home exercise regime set out and monitored by staff at Advanced Physio which I have been lucky enough to be involved in.

 

I have sat with Xavier on many occasions watching him fight both the physical and mental battle which we can all appreciate would be extremely difficult.

Driving out to his home visit the other day I reset my odometer to 0, and from the front door of our Physio clinic in Moonta to the front door of his farm outside of Bute it was 42km!

I have always wanted to run a marathon and now is the perfect time to raise money for Xavier and his family to help fund things like the necessary modifications to their family home and assist with Xavier's medications not funded through the PBS scheme.

I ask so much of him throughout his rehab sessions it only seems fair I too am challenged. I would love our community to help join me in all or parts of the run but more importantly a donation to assist this incredible family through such a challenging time.

Every cent donated will go directly to the Cock family!

I am nowhere near ready to run a marathon but training has commenced. I will keep you all up to date with my progress and the date of the run as it gets closer to becoming a reality.

This kid is an absolute legend and what the Cock's have been through this past 18 months is unexplainable and something no family should have to endure.

Please hit the donate button and give generously what you can.

About VEDS

Xavier was diagnosed with vEDS when he was eight, after having continual bruising all over his body.

Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is caused by a mutation in collagen type III, a connective tissue protein present in the vascular tissues.

People with vEDS have thin, fragile skin and hypermobile joints, with arteries and organs that are also fragile and prone to rupture.

Four minor diagnostic features – distal joint hypermobility, easy bruising, thin skin, and clubfeet – are most often present with children suffering from this rare condition, but other conditions include translucent skin, thin lips, narrow nose and prominent eyes, fine hair, and sleeping with their eyes open.

 

“Xavier was born with hip dysplasia, and at two weeks old had a pneumothorax – but he was born six weeks early, so we didn’t think much about that, and nothing else was noticed at that stage in regard to this syndrome,” Krystal said.

While this disease is usually hereditary, there is no history of this in Xavier’s family, so it was caused by a ‘spontaneous mutation.’

“Doctors haven’t seen Xavier’s condition in kids before – basically he is a test dummy with treatment being by trial and error,” Krystal said.