Our friend & friend of the blog, Bentalphanerd from Australia, recently sent us this info that the chilehead world needs to see. Given our propensity to back worthy causes, this one fits the bill exactly. Even if you think this is too far across the world to help, please consider doing so. You can find the entire discussion thread (and way to bid) at:

http://www.thehotpepper.com/showthread.php?p=279497#post279497

Last week my 16 yr old nephew was in a horror road crash near his hometown of Maryborough. One kid died at the scene another 2 including my nephew were airlifted to Brisbane hospital.

He underwent a 10 hour operation overnight to try to repair the damage to his legs (both femurs were broken, an ankle & foot mangled) but they found major arterial damage. It’s been touch and go as to if he got to keep first one of his legs all week and then the foot and now the calf muscle.

He has had several ops this week and a few more to go before the long rehab ahead.

Alex was a keen AFL player who was playing in the U14’s Rep at 12 yrs old and now in the U17’s – as you can see in the pics most of the guys are older/bigger than him but he never let that slow him down. He’s also the blur in the other pics kicking boards to gain his black belt in TaeKwondoe.

The family have travelled down to be with him through the hospital stay until he’s well enough to move to a hospital nearer to home. That looks like being some weeks away.

He’s studying Certificate III in Fitness and will complete a Diploma of Sports Development in 2011 – one extra year after grade 12. His goals are personal trainer, coaching etc. (after his own AFL career of course).

Alex is also a keen chilli-head who used both ‘pain’ & ‘pain2′ at a school cook-off {to hurt the teachers no doubt}, so as a way of being able to do something I’m putting up this charity to help the family with their stay away from home and for the long rehab ahead of him.

first up, here’s the news article if anyone wants to see the wreck: http://www.frasercoastchronicle.com.au/story/2009/11/20/crash-survivors-show-good-signs-of-recovery/

He was in the rear seat nearest the hit.

The Prize: (updated at time of this post)

-2 x jars of Black Dog
-A bottle of ‘Pain’ (last bottle of the most recent batch)
-The last existing jar of ‘chronic pain’
-200 Billyboy Douglah seeds
-Reznatla. by LordV
-Colon Cleaner by LordV
-The Last Bottle of the 1st ever batch of THSC’s Skobiyan
-A Pack of THSC’s Pepper Pepper
-The first and only batch in existence Quadraphonic competition sauce

As is usual I’ll pay the postage to the winning bidder anywhere in the world.