On the morning of May 14, Rachelle Boekel received a call from her husband, Gavin, who was working on their farm in southeast Queensland.
Gavin got stuck in a grain machine and when things started to look grim, he decided to call his wife. He only had a few words as he was sure life was over for him. His one leg was ‘hacked to pieces’ and the skin under his shin was ripped off.
The father-of-five prepared to say goodbye to his children and wife as the blades were about to rip his abdomen.
“I’m stuck, I love you – thank you for being the mother of my children.”
Fortunately, it wasn’t his time. Gavin, who was stuck in the grain machine for more than 4 hours, suffered a broken pelvis and seven fractured vertebrae.
He was rescued by police, firefighters and emergency paramedics who airlifted him to the Prince Alexandria Hospital.
After 19 hours of surgery, his left leg had to be amputated. He is still in a critical condition and may not come back home for a few months.
Rachelle said it was the first time their children were not able to see their dad on his birthday.
She wrote on Facebook: “My husband and father of 5 beautiful kids didn’t come home on his birthday to see his five children get his birthday present or cut the cake.”
She said their kids had been heavily affected by the incident. “’It breaks my heart to see my kids’ hearts get destroyed, our youngest girl is four years old,” she added.
Family and friends set up a GoFundMe page to help them. Rachelle wrote: “Gavin is so brave he is fighting his heart out he is so strong. We love him so much.”
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