Model's fight to save homeless man after he was found injured during Sydney's gale-force winds
A model who befriended an elderly homeless man and often bought him breakfast has described her worrying ordeal after he vanished from his regular spot.
Naomi Fitzgerald De Grave said she was first approached by Ned in 2015 in Surry Hills as she walked to work - she was crying after receiving some devastating news.
She was touched by his compassion and started visiting him each morning, quickly learning from his broken English that he was born in Turkey, but had moved to Australia from Germany.
Ms De Grave would visit Ned most mornings, but on Thursday she became increasingly concerned after she failed to find him for more than eight days. She was especially worried as Sydney was being lashed by gale-force winds.
After speaking to a group of younger homeless men, she finally found Ned lying under a tree in Hyde Park severely dehydrated and unable to move after the bout of horrific weather.
"I realised that his breathing was very shallow and I found out he hadn't moved in 8 days... So off to St Vincent's [hospital] we went," Ms De Grave wrote on Facebook.
At first, the model and stylist thought Ned would only spend the night in hospital, but doctors quickly discovered it was "something serious."
The elderly man had severe spinal fractures and requires surgery as a mass of nerves were putting pressure on his spine.
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"Ned is struggling with what is happening and is scared. I am too," Ms De Graves said.
"It's the first time that Ned has cried and has asked me not to go."
Ms De Graves has started a GoFundMe page to try and raise money to cover his ongoing medical costs and reunite him with family.
She has since had an outpouring of support, including a number of people dropping off warm clothing and shoes for Ned after hospital staff were forced to cut his off.
On Sunday, Ms De Graves uploaded a video of the disoriented man in a hospital bed trying to explain his background and how he came to be in Sydney.
"He has children in Turkey, Germany, England. His ex-wife and children live in Stuttgart in Germany," she said. "He arrived in Victoria then went to the Snowy Mountains."
Ned is expected to undergo surgery this week after he is appointed a legal guardian to approve the operation.
