A 14-YEAR-OLD boy was airlifted to hospital after being hit by a car and left with severe head injuries.
Jake Coleman, from Lewes, is struggling with memory loss and speech following the accident, his doctors do not know yet if he will make a full recovery.
He had been out with his friends when he was struck by a car outside a park in Nevill Road that left him unconscious with several critical injuries to his head and body.
His friends quickly ran to his house, just down the road, to alert his mother.
Polly Leddington, 34, Jake's mum said she was panicked when she heard a hammering at her door at around 8pm on the evening of November 3.
"I was at home with my husband Adam and my five other children getting my younger three children ready for bed as we usually do. Jake was out with his friends and wasn't due in until 8:30pm," she said.
Polly answered the door to one of Jake's friends who told her of the accident.
She said: "I ran down to Jake as fast as I could followed by Jake's older brother Luke, who's 16, and his younger sister Katie, who's 13.
"As I approached Jake, there was blood everywhere coming from his head, he had gained his consciousness by this point but was very confused and pouring with blood."
Polly described how her legs "turned to jelly" and she was crying as she saw her "worst nightmare come true".
Jake's friends, as well as the driver of the vehicle who had hit him, had all dialled 999 and emergency services arrived shortly after.
After paramedics checked Jake over and bandaged up his head as best as they could, they felt Jake's condition was critical and called for an air ambulance.
Jake and his mum were airlifted to Kings College Hospital in London where they were met with a flurry of doctors who quickly rushed him for a CT scan.
Polly said: "It's all very blurry from when we arrived at the hospital however Jake also required an MRI scan to be done too.
"When the doctors came to speak to me on November 5 about the results of the scans, I was told that Jake had a lot of bruising to his brain as well as a bleed, he also had fractures to his skull and until further tests were done, they are unable to tell me the extent of the damage but he is being closely monitored.
The following day, November 6, Jake went into theatre for surgery on his face which went well.
Within the last few days Polly has been told that Jake has also suffered fractures to his knee and shoulder bone, he is unable to walk by himself and is using a Zimmer frame.
She says that Jake is still sleeping a lot but when he is awake he is able to say a few words. He can remember some things but cannot remember what happened to him.
He is currently having physio for his physical recovery and therapy everyday to help him with his memory.
Polly said: "The doctors do not know if Jake will make a full recovery, we're just taking one day at a time and praying he does."
Since the accident Polly has been by Jake's bedside every day, causing her to spend time away from her other five children and husband for the first time.
"They're doing the best they can at home but they're having a difficult time coming to terms with what's happened and is happening now.
"Our children aren't able to visit Jake due to restrictions which is upsetting for them but we're helping them understand."
Jake's father, Steve, has been travelling to and from the hospital, from Brighton to Lewes and then to London and back most days to visit them.
Julie, Jake's grandmother and Polly's mother, has been with the pair since November 5 staying in hotels after the nurses told her they would need her support.
Polly has launched a Gofundme page to help the family pay for expenses accrued during their long hospital stay, such as hotel costs, parking, petrol and food. Within three days the page has raised over £2,700.
She said: "All our family are finding what's happened very difficult but we are all doing the best we can and we will continue to for however long it takes.
"The money that has been raised will go towards any expenses that have and do come up during Jake's time in hospital, as well as Jake's birthday on the 22nd November and towards Christmas too.
"We as a family would really like to thank everybody for their love, kind words, prayers, support and donations towards the cost of Jake's recovery. We are truly overwhelmed by it all and it has made this difficult journey that little bit easier for us. Thank you."
Polly said she would like to thank the emergency services who responded on the night of Jake's accident.
If you would like to donate to the family's fundraiser please visit: https://gofund.me/71c582dc
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