BRAVE BOY

Northern Advocate, 14 July 1925, Page 3

BRAVE BOY

SACRIFICES SKIN. FOR ''BROTHER AND PAL." SYDNEY, Thia Day. The fortitude shown by a boy at the Coast Hospital has evoked great ' praise from doctors and nurses. About three months ago Stuart aged 12 years, a son of Constable Street, of Daceyville, was severely burnt about the arms and chest by an explosion. For weeks his life was despaired of, but by skilful surgical treatment and nursing his condition gradually improved. The stage arrived when it was necessary to graft skin into the burnt parts of his body, but the area to be grafted was so great that difficulty was experienced in finding a suitable person who would volunteer to give his skin for the purpose. His brother Norman, aged 14, when he heard what was required immediately volunteered to fill the breach. The clanger and pain of such an operation were pointed out to him, but he heroically expressed his determination to help save his brother's life.

The operation was performed and for over two hours he was on the operating table, Dr Story taking the skin off his left side almost from the shoulder to the ankle. The skin was then successfully grafted on to his brother. The latter after coming out of his operation declared: "I am not good enough for Norman to do this for me," and when his brother was told of this he replied in the single words: "He's mv pal." The boys are reported to be making excellent progress towards recovery.