A young Kilkenny man who suffered a serious brain injury in an attack in the US and spent almost two months in hospital returned to work yesterday.Mr John Brennan (21), who spent weeks in rehabilitation after his release from hospital, finally drove a lorry going to Dublin.
On September 28th, 2002, he received a fractured skull and massive internal bleeding after being assaulted from behind on a street in New Haven, Connecticut.
Part of his skull cap was removed during emergency surgery in the intensive care unit of Yale Hospital, New Haven.
"I'm really delighted to be back to work again today," Mr Brennan said yesterday. "My main focus all along was to get back into the truck and back on the road.
"It's what has kept me sane since I got back home just before Christmas."
Yesterday, he and his family thanked those who contributed over €170,000 to an appeal fund to help meet his $200,000 medical bills.
People from all over the country had organised fund-raising events.
"We would really like to thank everyone who contributed to the appeal fund," said John's father, Tom.
He said that without this help, the family would never have been able to meet the bills.
"People were so, so kind and we really can't thank them enough," said John's mother, Mai.
Two weeks before his 21st birthday, Mr Brennan was assaulted and left for dead outside an Irish bar in New Haven.
His hospital stay in intensive care cost $11,000 a day and didn't include the cost of the specialist care he needed from a team of doctors.
Yesterday, Ms Byrne, one of the chief fund-raisers, said she couldn't believe the response when the appeal was launched.
"Everybody was so generous and we were worried when we started out that we would not raise the $40,000 needed immediately to get John into rehab," she said.
"People responded immediately and we had the money within a week," she said.
The VHI is making up the remaining balance of €65,000.
"We know it is a miracle and that others have not been lucky.
"We have to thank God for that," his father said.