Irish student speaks but full recovery long way off

A YOUNG Irish student beaten in a vicious attack in Chicago has started to say words and smile to family and friends, her father said yesterday.

But Natasha McShane still has a long way to go from making a full recovery and it is not known what long- term damage has been caused by the serious brain injuries she suffered.

The 23-year-old from south Armagh was beaten about the head with a baseball bat in a random and senseless attack in late April.

She was walking with friend Stacey Jurich when the attack happened. Two people face a series of charges connected to the attack, including attempted murder.

After weeks in a drug-induced coma, then waking but not being fully aware of her surroundings, the UCD graduate now recognises people around her.

And her first word, delivered in a low, forced whisper, was simply: “Hello.”

Speaking after a meeting to organise an all day benefit for the young student, her father Liam said there have been good days and bad.

Mr McShane said: “She can only whisper to us. There are good days when she speaks, then days when she doesn’t. We need a miracle, please pray for her.

“The doctors won’t talk about the future. It is too early. There is still swelling on her brain and that has to be monitored. She needs more surgery.

“I think the doctors always give you the worst case scenario here, sometimes it is hard to understand what they are saying in layman’s terms. But we won’t be able to take her home anytime soon.”

A steady stream of visitors have been allowed to see Natasha at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, in part to help stir her memory and brain functions.

Close to 70 people attended the meeting on Tuesday to hammer out details of the benefit on June 13, which has been named Natasha’s Day. Two-day events at the Irish American Heritage Center and Gaelic Park are being organised.

Individuals and businesses have donated a wide range of prizes for auction, from food to wide screen televisions to the use of a holiday home in Donegal.

The proceeds will help cover the family’s expenses in Chicago and some of the huge medical costs.

Liam, and Natasha’s mother, Sheila, have been in Chicago and at her bedside every day since the April 23 attack. Her younger brother, Conor, is also in Chicago.

Over $40,000 (€32,000) has been raised so far.