Follow up:
A great end to an extraordinary story of courage and willpower.
What a champion.
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Bravest boy in Australia goes home
By MATTHEW DENHOLM
May 19, 2004
HE'S a big hero, but all little Tyler Moon wanted yesterday was just to go home.
The seven-year-old left hospital yesterday with his father David, whose life he had saved 10 days earlier when he trekked 2km through rugged bushland with nine broken ribs and a broken shoulder blade to get help after their quad bike overturned.
While praising the medical staff who treated them, Mr Moon said both he and his son had had enough of hospital life.
"It's great to be going home," Mr Moon told The Daily Telegraph. "We can't wait to get back home and smell the bush again."
Mr Moon and Tyler were both seriously injured in the accident in Croobyar State Forest near their Milton property on May 8.
They were riding a quad bike on a bush track when a lump of wood became caught in a front wheel, flipping the bike over.
Tyler, who was seated behind his father, was thrown off and struck by the bike. A badly injured Mr Moon was trapped beneath the overturned bike.
In extreme pain and having difficultly breathing because of his broken ribs, Tyler walked home through rough terrain to summon help.
His mother Gail said Tyler collapsed moments after telling her: "Daddy needs an ambulance."
Neighbour Noel Brereton was the first to find Mr Moon, who was clutching his abdomen.
"He said to me, 'I'm almost up'," Mr Brereton said.
Mr Moon and his son were flown from Milton by separate NRMA CareFlight helicopters.
They have been in neighbouring hospitals in Randwick -- Sydney Children's Hospital and the Prince of Wales -- since.
Father and son were finally discharged yesterday after Mr Moon, 39, recovered from his internal injuries.
Tyler was still sore from his busted ribs and shoulder blade.
Mr Moon, an upholsterer with a love of the bush and quad bikes, hinted it would not be long before he and Tyler returned to the track which almost ended their biking days. "It's a rough track but it's a beautiful part of the world," he said.
While Mr Moon said he and Tyler were feeling "100 per cent better", Tyler looked pale as he left hospital and was still wearing a sling to help heal his broken bones -- but he managed a wave for The Daily Telegraph.
"We're glad to be going home," Mr Moon said.
Mrs Moon, who drove her son and husband home in the family sedan, said the dramas had taken their toll, with the past 10 days being a bit of blur.
But no one will forget Tyler's actions. He was been nominated for a bravery award and has received a flood of fan mail from his mates at Milton Public School.
Tyler's first concern on waking up in hospital was for his father.
They were finally reunited late last week when both were moved out of intensive care and into general wards.
"Tyler has always been a hero in my eyes -- now he's a hero in everyone's eyes," Mrs Moon, 37, said after the accident.
"He's the greatest kid in the world."