Attack victim Guido has health complications

Guido Nasi, the Italian man who was left paralysed after he was the victim of an unprovoked attack in Dublin 17 years ago, has undergone surgery after suffering further health complications.

Guido, who turns 34 tomorrow , has spent the last half of his life struggling to cope with irreversible injuries after he was struck over the head in Dublin’s Fairview Park in 1999.

The attack left the teenager partially sighted and no longer able to walk or even feed himself. It was his first trip to Ireland.

And over the past year, family friends have admitted they are increasingly worried about Guido’s mental health,.

The Italian, who lives with his 74-year-old mother, Simonetta, in a small apartment in Turin, is wheelchair-bound. In the early years following his attack he used to trawl the internet endlessly looking for a cure for his condition.

He has increasingly suffered bouts of depression, as he was finally forced to accept the truth that there is no chance of a cure.

To make matters worse, Guido, who requires round-the-clock care, faced another huge fight in recent months when he was rushed to hospital after feeling ill.

He underwent emergency surgery for a blocked intestine — a condition triggered by his inability to control his muscles following the attack — and spent almost two months recovering in hospital.

Although Guido has since recovered from the surgery, the setback has left his mother, his only carer, increasingly worried about her ability to look after him.

Bernadette Kelly, a Dublin-based victim support volunteer who built up a close friendship with the Nasi family following the attack, said: “It’s been a difficult time for Guido and Simonetta.

“Since his surgery he’s gone back home with his mother and she’s finding it harder and harder to cope.

“Simonetta isn’t getting any younger and she’s now looking to employ a carer to help her look after Guido. She’s interviewing people at the moment.”

“He was just a boy of 17 when the attack happened and changed everything forever,” she said.