THE FAMILY OF a man who fell ill days before travelling home from Canada have begun an online donation campaign to get their son back to Co Kerry.
Niall Hurley, a 28-year-old carpenter, was preparing to return to Tralee on 16 February having been on a two-year work visa in Calgary, Alberta.
But four days beforehand, Niall blacked out. He was taken to the Foothills Medical Center by ambulance and an ependymoma brain tumour was discovered in the cerebellum part of his head.
He underwent brain surgery for 10 hours, and is currently receiving therapy. According to Dr John Kelly, the doctor who operated on Niall, his recovery could take up to two years.
Niall’s brother Ian, who is a permanent Canadian resident, told TheJournal.ie that their parents Barbara and Kevin have been at their son’s bed-side for almost six weeks.
Mom and Dad are great. They are doing shifts at the hospital to ensure one of them is with Niall 24 hours a day.
He stressed that the local community in Calgary have been an amazing support for the family.
We cannot say enough good things about the people here in the hospital and the people that started to help Niall by visiting, sending cards and prayers and texting our family non-stop.
The Irish Cultural Society and the Irish community in the city are also helping out with mounting costs.
“The Irish community here are amazing in the way they come together as a team when times call for it. It means so much especially when people are away from home.”
In the latest post on the GoFundMe page, Ian hinted at his brother’s progress:
“…just leaving the hospital. Niall’s voice seems a little louder tonight. Also he is saying that his double vision is improving which is huge progress.”
The GoFundMe page is to fund Niall’s return trip home, where he will require both a doctor and a nurse to accompany him on the journey. So far the campaign has raised over $3,000 of the target figure of $10,000 (€9,100).
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say