The mother of a junior rugby league player who had to be placed in an induced coma following a hit to the head has thanked those who came to their aid.
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Linkin Hughes plays with the under 15s Bloomfield Tigers who were in Forbes over the weekend, taking part in a football carnival.
During one of the games, Linkin suffered a blow to the head and had to be flown to Westmead Children's Hospital with a grade 3 concussion. He was then put into an induced coma after being unconscious for nearly two hours.
"The moments after the injury were unimaginable. Myself as a mother, I was trying to stay positive for my husband and Linkin's twin brother Jy." Linkin's mum, Mel Hughes, said.
"The emotion of it all didn't hit me until I was in the chopper looking down at the field of players standing from all teams in guards of honour. It was a proud moment for me as a parent of two junior rugby league players."
Linkin was woken from the coma at around 7.30pm on the Saturday and although awake, he could not speak.
"I kept asking him to use his words, but nothing," Ms Hughes added.
"It was after I said to him 'I love you mate' he replied with 'love you mum'. These were the words as a mother I was yearning to hear."
As a result of the injury, Linkin has muscle damage to the left side of his neck which will be monitored and supported with a soft neck brace and physiotherapy, while the hematoma on his head has also reduced in size.
"Although there is no swelling on the brain he is staring into space a lot, goes into his own world, talking randomly and his left eye is not at 100 per cent capacity," Ms Hughes added.
"We've been told this is normal for his level of injury and concussion and should heal in time. He is able to communicate with us now, but becomes very confused and takes some time to think of what he wants to say."
Three years ago, Linkin suffered what was then his first concussion on the day before Mother's Day.
"As you can imagine, having this happen again has taken its toll on our family, us as parents and especially Linkin's mental health," Ms Hughes added.
"He can have no physical contact for the next two to three weeks and no contact sport at all for the next six months while he recovers at home.
"We have discussed with him doing the trainer course and maybe a referee course so he can still be involved with the club he loves so much."
Ms Hughes wanted to make special mention of the medical teams, NSW Rugby League, Bloomfield Junior Rugby League Club, all of the teams on the day and for the Bloomfield Tigers and Wildcats team of boys and coaches for the support they have shown.
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