Parents of the Canberra teenager who was critically injured while skydiving at the weekend say they will be forever grateful to the instructor and "incredible hero" to whom their son owed his life.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
On Saturday a sudden gust of wind swept Elijah Arranz and Adrenalin Skydive instructor Tony Rokov - who were tandem skydiving - into an uncontrollable freefall about 10 metres above the ground.
It's believed Mr Rokov, 44, wrapped himself around Elijah to cushion him from impact. He died at the scene.
"We have no doubt whatsoever that [Mr Rokov's] selfless actions and his decades of experience saved Elijah's life," Elijah's family said in a statement.
"He is an incredible hero. We cannot begin to express our thanks and our sorrow to his family."
Elijah's family said they were also grateful for the support they had received from family, friends, his school and the sporting community, including Elijah's basketball, athletics and jujitsu clubs.
Many in the community believed the budding sportsman would "fight" through his injuries, and his family also had faith in his ability to "overcome this hurdle".
"Anyone who knows Elijah is aware of how determined, disciplined and driven he is and we have faith he will overcome this hurdle as he does with any challenge he faces," they said.
"He is in the best possible hands at the moment. The nurses and doctors here at the children's hospital are doing everything possible to ensure he gets through this.
"We would just like to thank everybody for their prayers and well wishes."
Members of the Canberra teenager's northside school and sporting communities took to social media to support Elijah, 14, after he was flown to hospital in a critical condition after the accident in Goulburn.
Elijah was flown to Sydney for treatment and remained in a serious but stable condition at the Children's Hospital at Westmead on Monday, a spokeswoman said.
A Facebook post from St Francis Xavier College, where Elijah was in year 8, said the school community's thoughts and prayers were with the Arranz family.
"He has sustained a number of injuries and has had surgery," the post said.
"The prognosis is good at this stage but the recovery will take time."
His former basketball coach Paul Mitchell was among many members of Canberra sporting groups who took to Facebook to pledge support.
"For those that do know him, know that he is a champion, and he will fight this," he wrote.
"For those that don't know him, I ask that you support those in our squad that do, and that are coming to terms with this. If you pray, say one for Elijah and his family."
Peter Wilson of Peter Morton Academy of Self Defence wished Elijah "a speedy recovery".
"The academy is very proud to have a young man of his ability to be a part of us and also when something like this happens to one of our judo families it affects the whole academy."
There were also messages of support on social media from the Ginninderra Rats basketball club, the TRI Running Group and the AMDA Swifts Training Group.
The Canberra community has rallied behind the generous teenager who has in the past donated time and money to charitable causes.
Staff at Coffee Guru cafe in Charnwood have placed a collection tin in store so customers can donate money to Elijah and his family, while Ginninderra Little Athletics Club said a one-kilometre race this weekend would be held as a fundraiser.
Elijah was featured in The Canberra Times earlier this year after he vowed at the age of 12 to run every day for more than a year.
He capped off the challenge by taking part in the Australian Running Festival to raise money for the Make-a-Wish Foundation, because he wanted to help other children.
Elijah said at the time he ran an average of three kilometres a day and battled ferocious weather, poor health and even dangerous animals.
"I've run through a couple of thunderstorms now, it's not fun," he said.
"I've also had some animal incidents. One time, I had only run a couple of hundred metres, and a magpie just came and swooped, a very vicious magpie. Another time, I was doing some laps around Mount Rogers and came across a brown snake."
The schoolboy's big heart was again on display in 2012, when as a year 5 pupil he shaved his locks to help raise money for his Kaleen Primary School classmate Christopher Nell, who had blood cancer.
Elijah, then aged 10, told his mother he "wanted to shave my head off for Chris".
He raised more than $5000 for the World's Greatest Shave fundraiser for the Leukemia Foundation and said he wanted it to help fund medical tests and treatment for children.
