AFTER 10 days in a critical condition with severe head injuries, Peel man Darryl McGeown finally woke up on Christmas Day to take his first independent breaths and utter his first words.
The 33-year-old remains at Walton Neurological Hospital in Liverpool, where his wife Sharon said his condition is ‘one million percent better.’
In the early hours of December 15 the father of three was flown to the intensive care unit at Walton for treatment following an incident outside a Douglas nightclub.
His condition then was life-threatening, but on Christmas morning medics took the decision to stop his sedative medicine to see if he would regain consciousness and if he could breathe on his own. He responded within 30 minutes, waking up and reportedly muttering ‘get me out of here’.
‘It’s been an emotional roller coaster, there has been a few scary moments,’ said wife Sharon, who flew out with her husband and has stayed at the hospital since.
‘We still don’t know long term how he is going to be. He is still groggy. I told him on Boxing Day he is in Liverpool, it was so strange for him to have lost all of that time.’
He is now eating and drinking, and has been moved from intensive care to the high dependency unit.
Darryl has been receiving physiotherapy, though mobility remains limited.
‘He’s determined, but he has been in bed for 12 days and there are things he can’t physically do yet,’ said Sharon, adding there was no way of knowing yet how long it would be until they could return home.
‘We just have to wait and see how much help he is going to need. Right now he’s in the best place for him.’
One nurse told Sharon that in her six-year career she had never seen such a quick recovery from the kind of injuries Darryl had suffered.
‘It’s nice to hear as it gives you hope. There’s another family in ITU in the same situation, they arrived a week before us, and it gives them hope too.’
The family have been touched by the support of the Manx community, spear-headed by Darryl’s Western Vikings Rugby Club team mate Mike Sheeley. Thousands of pounds have been raised to support the family.
‘It is bonkers. I didn’t expect it to snowball and to get this amount of money,’ said Mike. ‘It will help with the family’s travel to and from the island and accommodation, and maybe it can help with Darryl’s recovery too.
‘It has been ridiculous how many people have come forward, people who don’t even know him. We’re planning to set up a charity for assault victims who have to travel off island.’
Sharon fully supported the idea to establish a charity.
‘Words can’t express the level of support we’ve had. We’re hoping we won’t need it all, and that we can put it into the charity. Other families might not be as lucky as us with the support we’ve had.
‘I want to thank everyone, not just for the fundraising, but for the hope, good wishes, and for people showing that they care. Even the kids might benefit in the future, from seeing the community pull together and being shown such good will.
‘It could have turned out so much worse. It was life-threatening, he could be dead and three kids left without a dad. Kids need to be educated on the consequences of violence, and how serious something like this can be.’
• Liam Priestnal, aged 17, of Lheannagh Park, Douglas, has been charged and bailed with inflicting grievous bodily harm. The case was adjourned until February 12 for committal to the Court of General Gaol Delivery.