3 miracles for young Jed Dray
Courtney, Jed’s Mother: “They are our superheroes - the doctors, the nurses, the helicopter crew, they saved our jeddy. We are so thankful”
What started out as a typical summer’s day for the Dray family, soon took a miraculous turn where a series of events ultimately saved their son Jed’s life.
Mum Courtney, had taken her three children, Jed, Gus and Daisy down the road for a swim with their cousins.
As the day progressed, Jed began feeling unwell, he was a little hot and headachy. Courtney initially assumed he’d had a little too much sun. However, overnight Jed’s condition worsened and she decided it was time to take him to the hospital.
Courtney said, “I don’t know what made me decide, we were just getting in the car and going, but something just wasn’t right with Jeddy”.
She didn’t know it at the time, but that decision helped save Jed’s life.
That was miracle 1.
While his symptoms indicated he had heat stroke, he had contracted meningitis.
The severity of his illness was not clear when Jed presented to the emergency department. The fact that the Doctors and Nurses took Courtney’s fears seriously, meant that he was treated for meningitis as a precaution and that early treatment helped save Jed’s life.
“Without them, Jed may not be here,” Courtney expressed. Jed’s dad Tom agreed, “He wouldn’t be here, we were so lucky”.
That was miracle 2.
The Prosperine Hospital realised that Jed needed specialist care and as soon as he was stable, they called for the RACQ CQ Rescue crew to get him to the Mackay Base Hospital as fast as possible.
“It all happened so quickly, Tom got ready to go with Jedd”, Courtney said.
Tom added, “Yeah, Court went home, packed some bags and organised the other kids and went to Mackay by road”. The chopper crew, they really made you feel at ease, and when they gave Jed his toy, he just loved it, he clung to it the whole time he was in hospital”.
They didn’t know it at the time but were later told that Jed only had an hour to live.
That was miracle 3.
As Jed continued his recovery, he was getting stronger and healthier every day. The family remain grateful for the miracle workers who played a vital role in saving his life.
Jed doesn’t remember much about the chopper ride, but he won’t forget getting his stuffed toy. A helicopter fondly referred to as ‘Huey’. But not Jed.
“I called him Dustan straight way and he came with me everywhere”, Jed said.
From the life-saving interventions to the comfort of a cherished toy, the impact had on this family will last a lifetime.
And while the Drays love all three of their children, right now, Jed gets just a little extra attention as Courtney and Tom are so very aware of how close they came to losing him.
“Miracles don’t happen every day, but they happened more than once with our Jeddy. We are so very grateful to have him with us,” Courtney said.
“We can’t thank you enough, our boy is here with us, thank you” Tom Dray concurred.
“Without CQ Rescue, he wouldn’t have made it, we wouldn’t have got him there (Mackay) in time. They are our superheroes”, Mrs Dray said.
During uncertainty, the Dray family’s story serves as a testament to the power of hope, a mother’s intuition and the incredible individuals who make miracles possible. Jed’s smile is a constant reminder of the miracles that brought him back to his loving family.
