Mark Bickley: Football legend reveals horror story of how his 12-year-old son was seriously injured and called saying: “Help me, help me, help me!”

Adelaide Crow Legendary Mark Bickley has revealed the terrifying phone call from his 12-year-old son that left his family fearing the worst.

Bickley and his wife Tory Party They became aware of the impact of concussion on children after their son Xavier was seriously injured when he fell from his bicycle handlebars while on holiday in Aldinga, south of Adelaide.

After falling on the sand dunes, Xavier immediately called his parents and said only one sentence: “Save me, save me, save me!”

“He didn’t know what was going on,” Tori said.

A confused Xavier was trying to lift the bike over the fence when Bickley found him.

He suffered injuries to his shoulder and face, a broken left arm and clear signs of a concussion.

“He kept asking ‘did I fall off my bike?'” Tory said he was “in and out of consciousness” as he was taken to Flinders Medical Centre by ambulance.

Xavier spent three painful days in the hospital surrounded by his family.

Adelaide Crows all-time great Mark Bickley was left devastated by a terrifying phone call from his son Xavier (pictured) asking for help

Xavier, 12, was so badly injured in a bicycle accident that doctors discussed putting him in an induced coma.

Bickley and his wife Tori (pictured with Xavier) warned other parents about the consequences of concussions because they feared losing the son they knew after he suffered a knock to the head

“He thought everyone wanted to hurt him because any touch caused him pain,” Tori said.

“For us, it’s been really scary.

“We thought we had lost the Xavier we knew.”

So far this year, the brain injury rehabilitation service at Adelaide Women’s and Children’s Hospital has received 121 concussion referrals, compared with 178 for the whole of last year.

Sixty percent of this year’s patients were boys, and more than a third of the injuries were sports-related.

The incident at Xavier was a vivid reminder for Bickley that he, too, had suffered head injuries during his 325-game football career.

“I had a bang on my head and didn’t know what was going on, but after sitting for 10 to 15 minutes I started to feel normal again… but he [Xavier] It seems to be going in the other direction,” he said.

Bickley detailed how his son’s traumatic experience differed from his own reactions to hits to the head during his 325-game football career.

“We just could tell he wasn’t himself.

“There are rumors that he may need to be put into an induced coma.”

Xavier missed the first two weeks of seventh grade due to a lack of concentration, and because of his light sensitivity, he couldn’t have access to a television or laptop.

He hasn’t played football in three months and now has to wear a helmet when he plays.

Bickley added: “A lot of us have had concussions and we say ‘well, we’re fine’ but that’s obviously not the case.”

“We have to change the way we think about concussions.”