December 2 was the day Elodie and Andrew Aldridge’s little boy was due.
October 20 was the day he left this world.
“Our whole world has been flipped upside down,” Mr Aldridge said.
Mrs Aldridge was driving back from a midwifery appointment in Wangaratta.
She was ecstatic to share the updates of their unborn baby boy with her husband.
He was kicking, he was healthy, and he was nearly here.
And then he was not.
“Wrong place at the wrong time” is how Mr Aldridge described what followed.
Mrs Aldridge was one of the drivers involved in the three-vehicle crash at Shepparton East on Friday, October 20.
She was flown to Royal Melbourne Hospital, where she and Mr Aldridge were given the gut-wrenching news.
Their little boy was no longer with them.
“Words cannot explain the feeling of having your child taken from you — nothing can ever replace them, ever,” Mr Aldridge said.
“We were so excited to meet him.
“His brother, Zac, will never get to meet him in person.
“He was just beautiful.”
While the family were grieving the loss of their son and brother, other factors remained at hand.
Mrs Aldridge was fighting for her own life on the weekend after being flown to hospital by air ambulance with serious injuries on Friday.
After undergoing multiple surgeries, with Mr Aldridge by her side, Mrs Aldridge remains unable to leave the hospital any time soon.
She is expected to stay in hospital for many more weeks, possibly even months.
Full recovery will take years.
“She will be here for a long time, but we just have to take one day at a time,” Mr Aldridge said.
“Rehab is going to be huge, and she will probably only be able to do office work from now on.”
Her accident has meant tools down for Mrs Aldridge, who worked alongside her husband as a fence contractor for their business, Goulburn Valley Fencing.
Mr Aldridge is also not working, as he is spending his days by his wife’s hospital bedside.
The couple opened the business only three months ago.
Now unable to earn money, the family are in limbo, unsure where the future will take them.
“We’ve been going through a nightmare,” Mr Aldridge said.
“And being self-employed puts us in an awkward situation.”
Both Mr and Mrs Aldridge’s family are spread across Australia and France, with Mrs Aldridge’s family in France unable to make the journey to see her at this time.
But the couple are thankful for the support they’ve received from them, alongside Mr Aldridge’s family, with some of his relatives flying in and others providing support from afar.
“Our family is scattered but it’s amazing how much family can pull together when they have to,” Mr Aldridge said.
Because of this, a GoFundMe page has been set up to assist the family with monetary support during this difficult time.
The couple are thankful for everyone who has pitched in to help.
“It’s beautiful, it’s nice to see people still care and are still genuine,” Mr Aldridge said.
“We can never repay them for the kindness they’ve shown us, ever.
“We are so grateful for everything and we just want to say thank you to everyone for everything.”
To donate to the Aldridges’ GoFundMe page, visit tinyurl.com/55ty593b