A family who moved to Australia for a better life is trapped in a living nightmare after a father-of-two suffered a life-threatening brain aneurysm.
Franco Liebenberg, 38, had been working from his Gold Coast home on June 16 when his wife Eloise and their children discovered him on the bathroom floor.
The senior project manager had been suffering seizures for up to five hours before his terrified wife found him and frantically called triple-zero.
‘I went into fight or flight mode. I got the kids to get my phone to call the ambulance,’ Mrs Liebenberg told the Daily Mail.
‘The kids freaked out, screaming, crying. I just told them, “Don’t look, just sit tight”.’
Paramedics arrived in 15 minutes and stabilised Franco.
A scan later revealed he had suffered a ruptured subarachnoid brain aneurysm, with his family told by doctors to prepare their final goodbyes.
‘They didn’t think he’d survive. But Franco did, by the grace of God, he made it through emergency brain surgery, and he’s still here,’ she said.
Mr Liebenberg’s wife of 10 years Eloise found Franco him on the bathroom floor after he had been suffering seizures for the last five hours (the family is pictured)
A scan later revealed Franco (pictured in intensive care) had suffered a ruptured subarachnoid brain aneurysm, which is considered by doctors as the ‘most severe kind’
‘I couldn’t eat for three weeks. I was constantly shaking and did not know what the next steps were, what our life is going to look like.’
In the three-and-a-half months since the aneurysm, Franco has had to relearn how to move, speak and perform daily tasks.
He remained motionless and on a ventilator in intensive care for three weeks before he was transferred to the neurological and rehabilitation wards.
Franco has undergone eight major procedures, including the installation of a permanent brain shunt and eye surgery after being declared legally blind.
‘The fact that he’s still here is a massive miracle because of the severity of (the haemorrhage). I think that’s what’s getting us through this, even if it takes years for him to recover,’ Mrs Liebenberg said.
The couple’s children, Delano, 8, and Ava, 7, were unable to sleep alone for weeks after they witnessed their father’s medical episode.
‘They couldn’t be in the dark. They couldn’t go into a bathroom without somebody being there,’ their mother said.
‘They have their outbursts. It’s always going to be tough.
Mrs Liebenberg said it is still ‘tough’ after the incident for their children Ava (left) and Delano (right), who initially struggled to sleep alone or be comfortable in the dark
Mr Liebenberg (pictured) has undergone eight major procedures, including the installation of a permanent brain shunt and eye surgery after being declared legally blind
‘It’s hard for them to see their dad like this, because it’s not the dad and the personality that he used to have so it is difficult.’
Mrs Liebenberg said before the aneurysm, Franco was a man full of passion, energy, and purpose with a thriving career in construction and a love of the outdoors.
‘He is a devoted dad, an incredible one. A loving husband, a cherished friend, and a beloved son,’ she said.
‘The main areas that were damaged are his cognitive side and his memory.
‘Unfortunately, the personality was affected as well, but he’s slowly getting there.
‘There are still snippets of him in there – the way he says things and the way he talks – but there’s not a lot of emotion.’
Franco and Eloise, who are both from South Africa, met 18 years ago in the city of George, in the Western Cape.
They married in 2015, spending the next decade travelling and living abroad in Brazil and then New Zealand where they had their children and gained citizenship.
Mr and Mrs Liebenberg are New Zealand citizens which means he does not qualify for full NDIS support which has led to Eloise starting a GoFundMe page for financial help
The father-of-two has a long road to recovery ahead of him, which is expected to take years
The Liebenbergs moved to Australia in 2023 for a better quality of life.
As New Zealand citizens, Mrs Liebenberg said Franco doesn’t qualify for NDIS support, meaning while his hospital care is covered, any future rehabilitation, equipment, transport, and alternative therapies will be at their own expense.
She has set up a GoFundMe, which has raised more than $12,600 so far, to help afford the daily therapy, medical equipment, and specialised care he will need.
‘(Doctors) want to see if they can get us even just 10 hours of a carer’s time during the week when he gets home but, in terms of therapy, I think it’s only six to eight weeks after he gets home that we’ll receive it at the community centre,’ she said.
‘From there, it’s on us and, because he still would need therapy for such a long time, that’s why I started the GoFundMe page to support him.
‘We just want to keep that going and make sure we don’t run out of funds to help him get better and be the man he used to be.’