Jasmin raises funds for best reason

Lately, Jasmin Koric’s life has been all about numbers.

Twenty-three. That’s the number of days since her twin brother Simon was involved in a waterskiing accident that severely damaged his spinal cord.

T3.That’s the number of the vertebra shattered when he went headfirst into the unexpectedly shallow water.

Five thousand. That’s how many dollars Ms Koric hoped to raise for the Spinal Cord Injury Network when the
Morawa mum signed up for tomorrow’s HBF Run for a Reason.

Twenty-eight thousand. The amount — and counting — she said has been raised.

It is by far the most raised by any single runner this year and it has happened in just five days.

“It’s beyond anything I expected,” Ms Koric said. “I did not expect it to get to $5000 and 24 hours after signing up it was up to $10,000.

“But then again it doesn’t surprise me because Simon just has the widest base of friends. He is one of those blokes who just can go anywhere and make a friend. He’s just a really easy bloke to talk to and get along with.

“He’s friends with everyone “I think he’s been pretty overwhelmed (by the response) as we all have been.”

The numbers tell only part of a story that started three weeks ago when Mr Koric, 25, was waterskiing with friends. As he came in from a run, his ski became wedged in the ground and flipped him on to his head.

“He knew straight away that he couldn’t feel his legs and he thought he had done his neck, so he yelled out to his mates (not to touch his neck),” Ms Koric said. “They held him in the water and called an ambulance.”

Mr Koric, who is in Fiona Stanley Hospital, was taken to Royal Perth Hospital and later Fiona Stanley Hospital, where his sister said staff and facilities could not have been better.

He will not get an official prognosis for another few weeks. Until then the family is holding out hope the 25-year-old diesel mechanic may one day walk again.

“It’s amazing how in times like this people come together,” Ms Koric said.

“I think it was a social worker who said she went to try and get a few appointments with him and every time there were people in his room and she said there’s been people going in and out all the time so she couldn’t get in to see him.”

Ms Koric, who lives on a Morawa wheat and sheep farm owned by her partner Jay Collins’ family, said the local community had also rallied.

The decision to sign up for the 12km fundraising run was made after a conversation with a friend who was already running. Money raised will go towards research into improving the quality of life of people with spinal cord injuries, improving recovery and ultimately the search for a cure.

Far from a keen runner, Ms Koric said she was trusting to the adrenaline of the day to get her through it.

“I hate running and I’m not fit but I can do it for those who can’t,” she said.

Sitting in her kitchen and feeding homemade baby food into the mouth of her beaming 10-month-old daughter Ellie, Ms Koric is adamant the fundraising achievement does not belong to her.

Instead, it is down to those who have donated and to the generosity her brother’s personality has brought out in others.

“I couldn’t have done it without everyone who has donated,” Ms Koric said.