On 29 November 2023, as reported by Manly Observer, a teenager sustained serious injuries after falling from the cliffs at Queenscliff rocks. The air ambulance was dispatched while emergency services attended to the teen, who was then transferred to Sydney Children’s Hospital.
That is usually where the story ends for us. Rarely do we find out what happened next. Except this time.
Artaban de Lacharriere wants to share his story, which involves luck, heroism and more resilience than anyone would ever ask of a 15-year-old, as part of his quest to give back to those who saved his life.
It was Christmas Eve, Artaban’s mother, Antigone, and father, Alexandre, weren’t able to attend their usual church – but they still shared a prayer – for their son to wake up from his five-week medically induced coma.
“We didn’t want to go to mass with a lot of people. We just want to do a little prayer, by ourselves near the church,” Antigone recalled.
“Afterwards, we went to the hospital. And then the nurse said to me, ‘he’s talking’. He just looked look at us and said, ‘Hey, I’m very cold’. That miracle was massive. We had our son back.”
“It was the best Christmas gift anyone could expect in their life,” Alexandre added.
Following the fall on Queenscliff rocks, the teen was rushed to the operating theatre where surgeons performed six life-saving surgeries. Six more were to follow over the next few weeks.
The extent of the St Ignatius student’s trauma was dire. A fractured skull, punctured lung and multiple spinal fractures, were just a few of the potentially fatal wounds suffered among a myriad of internal injuries.
Doctors told the parents to say their goodbyes, as Artaban’s chances of survival were as low as five per cent.
It’s now seven months on and Artaban is standing strong at Queenscliff beach with Manly Observer, where it all started, a day after his 15th birthday.
“We thought we would not celebrate it. So yesterday was a very, very emotional day and we were all extremely happy. Like, even the dog was crazy. Just a lot of joy,” Antigone said.
“I just find that the normal things that happen in life, they’re so much more valuable than what you really think they are,” Artaban added, showcasing his enlightened outlook on life.
“Every day is a gift.”
Artaban’s life-saving surgeries and three months of rehabilitation were undertaken at the Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick.
The French-Australian family has started a fundraiser for Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation with a goal of $20,000. The money would not only provide funding for the hospital’s proven essential services, but also as a gesture of gratitude to the staff who helped their son ‘find his smile’.
“I always got to do something with the staff, no matter what it was,” Artaban explained.
“And, I always spent time with them, laughed with them, talked to them. Just like having a normal conversation with someone.
“In the ward, they hired a full-time nurse at the beginning of Artaban’s hospitalisation,” Alexandre explained.
“I’m sure it wasn’t in their original budget. So, all the funds that we raise for the hospital will give more comfort to patients and more facilities. I think it’s so important.”
After the near-death experience, the Mosman-based family have a new appreciation for the things which have previously passed them by and are not quick to forget the people who helped them see this.
“Don’t take anything for granted. I’ve got two other kids, and they’re also more profound from this experience. It’s like everyone grew up a bit faster, but not in a bad way. We’re loving more the people we love,” Antigone expressed.
“We are so grateful to everyone, everything, the law, the doctors. We’ve got a French expression, put back the church in the middle of the village. We live in a great country, and we enjoy life and you don’t realise that can stop very quickly.”
Multiple groups earned their wings throughout the seven-month journey Artaban and his family endured – but the quick-thinking actions of Queenscliff lifeguards set everyone’s life saving contributions into motion.
“Our staff did an amazing job under what was very trying circumstances, and in a pretty unpredictable environment,” Beaches Services Coordinator, Steve Downman shared about his crew who were first on the scene.
“They didn’t realise how injured the guy was when they first got there.”
It all began when Artaban and his friends decided to traverse the cliffs between Queenscliff and Freshwater to check the surf; a few loose rocks spun the teen’s life into turmoil.
“The last thing I remember was looking at the waves,” Artaban said.
It was a 15-metre drop which ended between two rocks at the bottom of a crevasse. His quick-thinking friends descended the cliffs and moved his tongue to the side of his mouth to clear his airways.
Lifeguards were immediately alerted and arrived on the scene shortly after.
“One of them actually had to get below his head and push up and hold him up as the other ones had to drag him up out of harm’s way,” Steve recalled.
“They were concerned about the fact that he had a low consciousness level and there was concern not only about his neck, but the fact that he potentially might have had issues breathing. So they had to get him back onto the flat rock.”
The harrowing call to the parents soon followed. What was supposed to be a day of celebration quickly crumbled to consternation.
Antigone was preparing her daughter for her Year 6 graduation. After learning her son was in an accident, she contacted her husband.
“When I arrived, I was a bit shaky. I saw all the ambulances and the police car. And I said, Well, it’s not a little accident. It’s a big one. So I started to run. The policeman tried to stop me. And I asked, is he alive? Is he alive?” Alexandre said.
“I saw him lying down and what might’ve looked like his feet moving. Just gradually you understand it’s terrible, because nobody can really explain what’s happening because everyone thought he would not make it,” Antigone added.
“The chance of dying was like 95 per cent.”
To make matters more stressful, Artaban could not be airlifted due to poor weather. Thankfully, the police were able to provide a ‘green corridor’ for the ambulance, making the trip from Manly to Randwick take only 20 minutes.
But even still, time did not fly inside the police car escort.
“It was the worst 20 minutes of my life,” Alexandre said.
Both Alexandre and Antigone expressed deep gratitude to the police for providing the quick hospital access and for their transportation of much-needed blood for a transfusion for their son.
Although Artaban’s recollection of the first few weeks after his coma is quite hazy, he shared his appreciation of his friends and family who stood by his side, the staff who nursed him back to health and the strangers who came to visit, just to show support.
Before the accident, the Year 9 student wanted to be a surgeon.
“The main reason for wanting to be a surgeon before this happened was just because you get paid a lot. And now, I just feel like I want to be a neurosurgeon. Just because, I just feel like you can make a very big difference in someone’s life,” he said.
If you would also like to make a difference in someone’s life, you can do so here, by donating to the family’s fundraiser.
