They've faced more than any family should, but the Coopers keep on battling
Waking up in St Vincent's Hospital was a surreal experience for Ben Cooper.
The last thing he could remember was going to bed four nights earlier but in the days since, he had undergone lifesaving brain surgery and his family had been given the devastating instructions to say goodbye.
"I'm still trying to process it," Mr Cooper said.
"I'd had some declining health leading up to it, I was a little bit unwell, I had some stuff going on - headaches and whatever - but the last thing I remember was we had dinner on the Thursday night, I felt a little bit unwell, had a bit of a migraine, vomited and then the next thing I woke up to was four days later in Sydney after having brain surgery."
Ben Cooper (centre) pictured at home in Lake Albert with his children Will, 16, Evie, 12, Maya, 11, and wife Jackie. Picture by Tom Dennis
After heading to bed early on September 26, Mr Cooper was unresponsive the next morning. His wife Jackie sounded the alarm.
A cavernoma, a cluster of abnormal blood vessels, had been forming inside his head for some time and had finally pushed too far.
Growing over the part of Mr Cooper's brain that controls emotion and memory, it had been silently impacting him for some time.
It was quickly determined he needed care only available to him in Sydney, and within hours he was being flown to the city for emergency surgery.
For his children, Will, Evie and Maya, it was the beginning of a shockingly familiar event.
Just 12 months earlier Mrs Cooper was flown to the same hospital with a heart condition and complications from an autoimmune disease.
It was an event that shook the family to its core and with Mrs Cooper unable to continue working full-time, Mr Cooper became the family's main source of income.
Mrs Cooper was in Sydney for more than three weeks before she could return home, with Mr Cooper and their children supporting her every step of the way.
But when suddenly their roles were reversed and it was Mr Cooper in a hospital bed, their children stepped up.
"We're so proud of them, it was a huge thing to be faced with," Mrs Cooper said.
I can't even imagine being told that you're going to lose your dad and that you need to spend some time thinking about what you're going to say to him before they fly him away.
"They were just amazing, they really looked after me in that situation as well."
Not only were they handling a situation no child should have to, they were the holders of the important details Mrs Cooper had missed in 2023, like where the best coffee was at the hospital or what parking facility to leave the car in.
Just a week after the initial incident, the family was relieved to hear Mr Cooper could return home to Wagga Wagga.
Jackie and Ben Cooper together at home in Lake Albert after Ben was released from St Vincent's Hospital Sydney. Picture by Tom Dennis
Though very early in his recovery, coming home has had a significant positive impact.
The path ahead will be a long one, but the couple said having access to outreach medical services in Wagga Wagga has made the first few weeks easier, bringing a slight sense of normalcy to their shaken lives.
"I think they had comfort that we live close to the Wagga Base Hospital here," Mr Cooper said.
"At the moment I basically don't have any vision, so that's difficult; whilst I can walk around and I can function OK, there is a lot of caring that Jackie and my family need to do."
"It's all right though because he's done his fair share of looking after me," Mrs Cooper added.
While the family was rightly focused on Mr Cooper's health and recovery, it was a childhood friend that looked at the bigger picture.
With Mr Cooper now unable to work, three children to feed and a mortgage to pay, life-long friend Luke Burch mobilised the Coopers' community.
Ben Cooper (centre) pictured at home in Lake Albert with his children Will, 16, Evie, 12, Maya, 11, and wife Jackie. Picture by Tom Dennis
Within a month, Mr Burch has collected nearly $40,000 for the Coopers through a GoFundMe he set up in their name.
"We didn't really know what was going on to start with, we started getting messages of support from friends and family and clients," Mrs Cooper said.
Ben and I have had some beautiful connections over the years with people, and people from all over the world were actually texting to check on us and send us their love.
Though the bills will continue to come, the pair says the generosity they've received has given them breathing space.
Jackie and Ben Cooper hug in Mr Cooper's hospital room. Picture via GoFundMe
With messages flooding in from members of the local soccer and cricket associations, Mr Cooper said hearing from the young boys he has coached has been most special.
"We're so grateful for the donations to the GoFundMe, but there's another layer of genuine care, people checking in and hoping we're OK, dropping off meals at the door and chocolates.
"Getting not just parents but messages from 15 and 16-year-olds saying 'I hope you're OK coach' and 'all the best', it's been overwhelming and really humbling; it's such a beautiful thing to see so many people concerned and wanting to know that I am OK."