A MOTHER has spoken of her heartache after her 14-year-old son suffered life-changing injuries that left him wheelchair-bound.

Vicky Broadhead, from York, has been at the bedside of her son, Leo Pearson, for the last 12 months after he suffered the serious injuries.

She said in February last year she received a call from the police to say that Leo had been found unconscious by three individuals, who had performed CPR to help bring him back to life.

Vicky said: “He just went to school that day and all of a sudden I received a call telling me the news. I was heartbroken.

“I owe my life and my son’s life to them. Words are never enough to explain what they mean to me.”

She added that Leo, who attends Joseph Rowntree’s School, suffered an hypoxic brain injury and was moved from York Hospital to Sheffield Hospital for end of life care - spending three weeks on a life support machine.

Vicky said: “The doctor said we only had hours left with him and had to say goodbye. I had signed forms to confirm we would donate his organs to others in need. We really thought we were losing him.

“Somehow, he kept fighting. The doctors could not believe it but slowly and surely, he grew stronger.

“Leo spent months in hospitals across Yorkshire receiving treatment. He can no longer move, walk or talk but I can still see the emotion and kindness fill up in his eyes.”

After leaving Sheffield hospital, Leo was moved to Leeds General Infirmary, before attending Martin House Hospice for periods as the family looked to move to a new house that was suitable for his needs.

Vicky said that the last few months had been incredibly challenging and that she is raising money for Martin House which had helped her and the whole family “recover from being broken”. She added: “We wouldn’t have managed to cope if it wasn’t for Martin house helping Leo and us as a family. They helped us look after Leo through his recovery and gave us a chance to be with a family again - and start to rebuild our family which had been massively broken.

“They’ve taught me so much. Leo needs constant care and attention for 24 hours a day, and staff at Martin House have helped me understand the medicines he needs, been there for me in emergencies, and helped me find other parents whose children have special needs so we don’t feel alone.

“Leo is making small improvements and is working on blinking now. He has just started to laugh again. He loves the sun and nothing more than being on a bean bag outside in the fresh air." Vicky added that due to coronavirus, Martin House has lost up to 90 per cent of its funds, adding: “Leo loves Martin House. He was due to be there next month but because of Covid-19, he can’t.

“We are running a raffle to raise money for them during this hard time and to make sure they can survive, and so Leo can return to be at a place that he loves so much.”

To donate towards Vicky’s cause please visit: https://www.facebook.com/donate/294126521580275/ The Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. Calls are treated with absolute confidentiality and discretion.

If you have been affected by this, please contact the Samaritan helpline at https://bit.ly/2zQGGB4.