Help Chris Recover After Brutal Attack

My name is Chris Child, and I’m sharing this with a heavy heart — because I need help to survive, heal, and hold onto what’s left of the life I once knew.

A few months ago, I was just walking home from the shops — something so normal, so safe. But in a split second, I became the victim of a brutal and unprovoked attack that nearly ended my life.

I went into traumatic cardiac arrest. My heart stopped — and doctors had to manually pump it for 20 minutes to bring me back. I was placed in a coma for three weeks, placed on life support and a breathing machine for 3 weeks, spent 38 days in the ICU, with tubes and wires coming from everywhere. My condition was so critical that I was used as a “hot case” — a real-life emergency scenario for ICU doctors to train on, because the odds of me surviving were so slim.

My organs began shutting down. My kidneys completely failed, and I was placed on dialysis for three weeks. I received over 50 bags of blood products, and more than 3 litres of blood were drained from my left lung in under 24 hours, whilst I had Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) on my right lung which is very serious for critically ill patients.    I had a fractured neck (C6), multiple life-saving surgeries, and have suffered countless other serious injuries. I’ve lost over 30 kilos, and now rely on more than 10 medications a day, when I had never taken any before.

Since then, my body hasn’t stopped fighting — and neither have I.

I’ve been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, atrial fibrillation, and in February, I suffered a heart attack. I now live with crippling PTSD and anxiety, and many days I’m too frightened to leave my home.

Before the attack, I was working FIFO and had only just bought into a home — a place full of meaning and memories, purchasing my share just five months earlier. It was meant to be the start of a new chapter. But now, I’m facing the terrifying reality that I may lose my home, as I’m currently unable to make the mortgage payments due to my injuries and inability to return to work.

I’m doing everything I can to stay afloat — but I can’t do it alone anymore.

I need your help.

The funds raised will be used to aid in my recovery — including ongoing medical treatment, physical rehabilitation, mental health care, daily medications, and vital living expenses, including support to keep my home during this time of crisis.

On top of the immense physical and emotional toll, I am now unable to complete the urgent repairs needed on the home — repairs I would have once tackled myself without hesitation. The roof, gutters, downpipes, and fascias are in need of repair or replacement, and the front yard and garden need to be made safer and more manageable. The house also needs painting, and ongoing decluttering to help make the space more liveable and healing. The money raised will be used to assist with these essential repairs, followed by support towards the mortgage and daily living costs that have become increasingly difficult to manage during recovery.

Because of the court case, I can’t share details of what happened — but please understand:

This was a violent, life-shattering event.

I was an innocent person just trying to live my life.

Now I’m fighting every single day to keep going.

Whether it’s a donation, a share, or even a kind word — your support could mean the difference between giving up and holding on.

From the deepest part of my heart,

Thank you.

Chris Child