A Queensland family's world was turned upside down when a serious car crash left their newborn baby fighting for his life, sparking a miraculous rescue mission spanning hundreds of kilometres.
A Family's Trauma and a Delayed Emergency
Cooper Pressler-McHugh was just 10 weeks old when the car he was travelling in with his parents, Sean and Demi, crashed in Kalkie, roughly four hours north of Brisbane. The impact left both of his parents with serious injuries.
The entire family was initially taken to Bundaberg Hospital. While his parents remained in hospital for continued treatment, Cooper was released into the care of his aunt, Emma. For a short while, it seemed the worst was over.
That fragile sense of calm shattered when baby Cooper suddenly began having seizures. "He became unresponsive," his mother Demi recalled. The Bundaberg Hospital emergency department quickly determined the situation was critical. "They made the decision that he needed to go to Brisbane," Demi said. Scans revealed the terrifying cause: swelling on his brain.
The Impossible Choice and a Race Against Time
Cooper needed to get to the Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane immediately—a journey of more than 350 kilometres from his home. The LifeFlight organisation was called upon for a mercy dash.
The Brisbane-based LifeFlight crew collected a specialised paediatric doctor, Arya James, and a nurse, Katie Allen, from the Children’s Health Queensland Retrieval Service before racing to Bundaberg.
For Demi, the situation was heartbreaking. Grappling with her own severe injuries, including two broken legs, she faced an impossible decision. "I ended up having two broken legs and spent 36 days in hospital, so my sister Emma went," Demi explained. Her husband, Sean, was also unable to help, as he was in an induced coma in the ICU.
Dr. James described the poignant scene upon arrival. "It really hit hard when I saw his mum next to him, still recuperating from her injuries," she said. "She was so incredibly brave, holding his little fingers and taking a picture of him while they were lying in hospital beds next to each other."
A Thriving Future Thanks to Rapid Rescue
The medical team worked swiftly to stabilise Cooper for the flight. "We secured his airway before we got him back to Brisbane in the helicopter, and Cooper was very stable on the evening flight," Dr. James noted.
Throughout the loud helicopter journey, the crew provided immense support to Aunt Emma, using their phones to type messages and answer her questions. Nurse Katie Allen emphasised, "I understood how important it was to not only care for Cooper medically, but to also provide emotional reassurance for his family during such a distressing time."
Miraculously, after only four days at the Queensland Children’s Hospital, Cooper was well enough for Emma to drive him back to Bundaberg.
Now, one year on, Cooper is described as thriving. However, the brain injury has led to lifelong complications. "The swelling on his brain did resolve, but he has a pituitary stalk injury which is lifelong," Demi shared. "He’ll be on medication for the rest of his life, but he’s okay, and without LifeFlight he probably wouldn’t be here."
In a heartfelt gesture of thanks, the family's business, McHugh Steel, recently selected LifeFlight as the charity beneficiary for a Bundaberg Rugby League fundraising golf event, which raised $10,000 for the vital service. "We chose LifeFlight purely because of Cooper," Demi stated.
