Help for the Turner family

Thursday the 24th of September was meant to be a special day for well-respected builder Rob Turner and his young family. They had just arrived in Karumba for their once-a-year family holiday and were setting off for the day when their world suddenly changed.

Rob, his wife Gabrielle and their three children Estelle, 5, Frankie, 3, and Otis, nine months, were in the car together when Rob suffered a severe pain in the head. He stepped out of the car, collapsed and became paralysed, terrifying his frantic family. Rob was airlifted to Townsville Hospital and placed in intensive care. Doctors discovered he had a very rare bleed on the brain.

Rob is a fighter and his condition is slowly improving, but there is a long and uncertain road ahead. He will be in hospital for a number of weeks while doctors continue to monitor him and he will then undergo brain surgery, facing many months of rehabilitation. It is not clear how long it will take for Rob to recover, or what this will look like.

Rob and Gabrielle run a small, family-owned construction company, but their business cannot operate while Rob is unwell, and Gabrielle cares for him and their children around the clock. The future of this beautiful family is now unclear. Gabrielle and the kids have relocated from the Atherton Tablelands to Townsville to be by his side, and face hefty accommodation and living costs while they are there. Like many young families, Rob and Gabrielle also have a mortgage and bills that will not wait. This is the second time in just a few years that they have faced a life-threatening emergency. Their eldest daughter underwent urgent open-heart surgery when she was just four weeks old. Rob, Gabrielle and their precious children deserve a break.

Rob is a down-to-earth, generous and hardworking man who adores his wife and children. It is vital to his proper recovery that his family are taken care of, so that he does not face further stress and can focus on getting better.

Rob is always the first person to help others in need. We need to join forces to do the same for him. Please give anything you can to make this difficult time a little less stressful for the Turner family. Thank you.