APOPKA, Fla. — A Pinellas County 12-year-old boy is fighting for his life after a tragic fall while camping over the weekend in the Orlando area.
Brian Larkin's dad is a Largo firefighter and his mom is a Pinellas County teacher.
"He is the biggest love. He’s the best kid," said Brian's aunt, Shari Comp. She says at 12 years old, the boy and his family have a love of camping.
"They pack up their camper, they pack up their dogs and the family and they just go camping," Comp said.
Comp is sisters with Brian's mom, Mandy. Comp explained her nephew, sister and their family were camping this past weekend in Apopka.
"They were camping at Wekiwa Springs in Apopka, he just had a tragic accident and he fell," Comp stated.
Comp went into detail saying Brian fell on the left side of his head.
"He fell very hard, unfortunately," she said.
The neurosurgeon at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital told the family Brian suffered a brain bleed and multiple skull fractures on a part of his head where there are major arteries and veins.
"Where it's located is very rare and it’s very dangerous," Comp explained.
In the past four days, Brian’s had two surgeries.
"We were very scared... very, very scared because of where his injury is," she said.
The second surgery was risky.
"He could bleed significantly and he could pass immediately so we were terrified," Comp said.
The good news: it was a success. This picture is from before Brian’s brain surgery. The white cloudy part is the bleed.
This picture shows how much the surgeon was able to remove.
"He just needs to heal," his aunt said, "Now it’s a very, very, very long recovery."
As Brian’s family focuses on his healing, his aunt is thinking long-term by starting a GoFundMe. So far it’s passed $22,000 to support Brian’s medical bills.
"It’s going to be massive," Comp said. "It’s going to be something that will be a burden."
As Brian battles his way through recovery, his parents remain by his bedside determined to bring their boy home.
"We feel hopeful, but his journey is incredibly long," she said. "It does not end here. Not even close."
The family says the medical team is slowly taking Brian out of his medically induced coma to start his healing journey. If you would like to help the family, their fundraiser is linked here.