Mother of Jason Cierns - ‘I need him to get well and come home’

The mother of a Corkman in an induced coma in an Australian hospital has described how her whole world was turned upside down after hearing he’d been the victim of an attack and how she’s praying he gets well and returns home.

Jason Cierans, 29, is expected to be gradually taken out of the induced coma today by doctors at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney.

“I want him back in my arms. I want to kiss and hug him,” his mother, Stephanie, told reporters in Sydney yesterday.

“I need him to get well and come home to me.”

Flanked by other family members, she added that her son was a loving, funny, happy-go-lucky man who started work immediately when he arrived in Australia six years ago.

Ms Cierans said Jason was employed in the construction industry and never missed a day at work— until he was attacked in the Australian city last weekend.

Two men have been charged in relation to the incident. Argentinean national Adrian Martinez, 30, was charged with causing grievous bodily harm.

He appeared in Sydney’s Central Local Court yesterday and was granted bail with the matter due to return to Waverley Local Court on October 22.

Another man, aged 27, who hasn’t been named, was charged with affray. He was also released on bail to appear at the same court next month.

Ms Cierans said her son thought of Sydney as his home and said she couldn’t be any prouder of him.

“Any parent whose son or daughter lives abroad has this fear when the knock comes late at night,” she said, saying that when the knock came to her door “our world turned upside down”.

“We’ve met all Jason’s friends and the stories that we’ve been hearing has made me laugh, cry, want to go and hug him, want to wake him up,” Ms Cierans said.

“He’s the type of guy that ... if anyone is in trouble, nothing is too big or too small, he’s my Jason, and he’s brilliant,” she said.

Ms Cierans and other family members arrived in Sydney last Monday and have maintained a vigil at his bedside since.

Doctors have described the condition of young man, who is originally from Gurranabraher, as critical but stable.

They carried out emergency surgery to relieve pressure on his brain and placed him in a medically induced coma to stabilise his condition.

It’s believed he was punched as he crossed a road and fell to the ground, hitting his head.

Friends of Jason’s, several of whom witnessed the attack, paid tribute to the popular construction worker who has built up a wide circle of friends among Sydney’s vibrant expat community.

Fellow Cork native and Sydney resident, Kez O’Callaghan, wrote on Facebook: “This man is a gent and too stubborn to let this keep him down. Stay strong buddy, we will be with you every step of the way.” Another fellow Corkman, Jay Healy, said he was “a top, top man”.