John out of intensive care and steadily improving

A 20-YEAR-OLD injured in an unprovoked attack in the US has been transferred out of intensive care.

John Brennan, from Clara in Kilkenny, continues to make slow but steady progress in the Yale New Haven Hospital in Connecticut. He suffered serious head injuries when struck from behind outside an Irish bar in New Haven almost two weeks ago.

Family and friends at his bedside are hoping they will be able to celebrate his 21st birthday on Tuesday next.

It is also hoped that a bone removed from the young carpenter’s head might be replaced within the next week, paving the way for further recovery.

John’s sister, Marian, said the operation will probably take place next week. She remains at his bedside along with her parents, Tommy and Mai, sister Elaine and brother Padraig.

“He has regained consciousness but his speech is still quite poor. Doctors expected it to be worse because he had two brain haemorrhages and some brain damage,” she said.

“His movement on his right-hand side is also affected. He will have to do a lot of work on his co-ordination. If, for example, he has an itch, he can’t use his right hand to get to the right place. And while his short-term memory is poor, it will improve with rehabilitation.”

The family has been urged to keep in mind that his road to recovery will be a long one. He may need several weeks of intensive therapy before he can fly home. Any airline would be anxious about flying him home until his condition has improved greatly.

While the Brennan family maintains a bedside vigil, a fund-raising committee set up to raise money to cover his $11,000-a-day hospital bills has arranged a number of events over the October Bank Holiday weekend.

The committee has also set up a trust fund in the local AIB Bank on Kilkenny’s Dublin Road. The Clara Trust Fund account number is 36701037 and the sort code is 93-34-22.