Firefighters donate litres of blood to save 11-year-old girl who was horrifically injured after a stick she rolled over while riding a dune buggy pierced her thigh and stomach
- Cianna Brenia was rushed to hospital after a dune buggy accident in Queensland
- The buggy she was on ran over a stick which then pierced her thigh, abdomen
- She lost a significant amount of blood, prompting community donations
- The 11-year-old remains in hospital as she continues her remarkable recovery
Firefighters have donated litres of blood to help save the life of a young girl badly injured in a horrific dune buggy accident.
Cianna Brenia was riding with a friend on a rural property in Takura, on Queensland‘s Fraser Coast, when the dune buggy ran over a large stick that pierced through her thigh and abdomen and severed one of her veins.
The 11-year-old was airlifted to the Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane on March 6 after she lost a huge amount of blood and her organs shut down.
She had to be resuscitated three times, with grave concerns she would not survive the flight given her critical condition.
Cianna needed blood supplies to help keep her alive and an urgent call was made to locals to roll up their sleeves and donate, which they responded to in droves.
Cianna was airlifted to the Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane, with a high probability that she was not going to survive the flight given she had lost a significant amount of blood
Cianna Brenia was rushed to hospital after a large stick she ran over in a dune buggy pierced through her thigh and abdomen and severed a main vein
Firefighters from the Craignish auxiliary fire station were among those who donated blood, including Cianna’s stepfather Brian Westlake, along with several other members of the local community.
‘As Cianna’s stepdad, I have been wanting to donate since the accident, but wanted to make it even more special with my fire family,’ Mr Westlake wrote on Facebook.
‘The crew from Craignish Fire Station finally got the chance to donateforcianna with blood and plasma donations. Thank you to my crew and to the staff from Lifeblood for allowing this to happen.’
Cianna, described as ‘stubborn, strong and a fighter’, had several surgeries and with the help of surgeons, nurses and other health care workers in the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit, her condition vastly improved.
She spent almost two weeks in intensive care before being moved to a surgical ward to focus on her rehabilitation.
‘Cianna is still in her hospital and has made great progress, though she did experience another scary moment when she started to vomit blood,’ Cianna’s mother Maureen Murphy told Daily Mail Australia.
Cianna has undergone multiple surgeries as she continues her recovery in hospital more than a month on from the horrific accident
Cianna’s mother said while her daughter is still in her hospital she ‘has made great progress’
Firefighters from the Craignish auxiliary fire station (pictured) were among those who donated blood as an urgent call was made to boost the region’s blood supplies
‘This was a result of a ulcer that had ruptured which resulted in her going back to PICU and receiving more blood. She is now doing a lot better.’
A GoFundMe has been set-up to help raise funds to support the family as Cianna continues her remarkable recovery.
‘Cianna’s warrior family are by her side for every step of the way, often with large absences from loved ones and their children and as a result it’s taking a financial burden,’ organiser Verity Thomas wrote on the fundraising page.
‘Recovery could take weeks, potentially months, and I am putting a force out to our beautiful community to ask for just a little bit of help to take that financial burden and pressure away so they can concentrate on their strong, courageous, beautiful young girl we all love dearly.’
The family are also asking individuals who are eligible to consider donating blood on a regular basis.