Simple birthday wish for little coma girl

Hineraukura Fraser-King, who has been in an induced coma, is 6 today. Photo / Supplied

The family of a critically injured Rotorua girl hope she will be well enough for them to be able to sing Happy Birthday to her today.

Hineraukura Fraser-King will reach her sixth birthday at Starship Hospital where she has been in an induced coma since she was hit by a ute in the city on May 5. She has head injuries, broken bones and internal bleeding but yesterday began breathing for the first time without breathing tubes.

Her family hope it is a sign she is improving and will be able to know they are with her today. Her grandfather, Anaru Fraser, said yesterday that doctors had reduced her level of sedatives so she was now more lucid.

"She's opening her eyes and looking around. We've been told to keep things low in stimulation, to refrain from speaking too much to her and if we want to talk to her to keep it direct. Just to keep it short and to the point."

The removal of the breathing tubes was positive but the family were taking it one step at a time, so any celebrations would be "low key".

"We're not even sure we can sing her Happy Birthday because there are other ill children in same room as she is, notwithstanding stimulation might not be the best for her."

He hoped she could understand what was happening around her because nurses had told them she may not remember much because of the sedatives.

"When she opened her eyes the other night she saw me and recognised me. She began to cry ... I'm hoping she did [recognise] because when we are talking, her eyes immediately open up and she starts looking around."

Mr Fraser said the only food Hineraukura could eat at the moment was a milkshake. "So we were thinking we could still maybe have a milkshake with her and then go for dinner with the immediate family somewhere."

He said Hineraukura's parents, Deacon King and Anahere Fraser, were coping as well as could be expected.

He took Ms Fraser, his daughter, to Sylvia Park yesterday for some "retail therapy" to help clear her head.

Since Hineraukura has been at Starship she has had a cast put on her right leg and screws put into her back but doctors haven't been able to put a neck brace on.

The family did not blame the driver of the ute because they know it was only an accident.

"We have an idea what happened. She ran out on the road in front of a parked car so she wouldn't have seen the ute around the corner."

He has spoken to the ute driver, who is badly shaken, to put his mind at ease because children could be so "unpredictable" and Hineraukura had been told not to go onto the road.

The extended family have been taking turns to sit with Hineraukura in six-hour rostered shifts so there were two people at her bedside at all times.