THE Irish community in Oxford are rallying to support a Mayo father-of-four, who sustained severe brain injuries in a motorbike accident.
On June 7, Kenneth McCarthy crashed into a lamppost in Bicester, where he was living at the time.
The 41-year-old suffered serious injuries in the accident, including broken ribs, fractures to his spine, torn ligaments in his neck and collarbone and bleeding to his brain.
His eldest son Dale, 21, who works in construction and has lived in London for the past four years, recalled the moment that he learned of his father’s accident.
“It was my girlfriend’s birthday, we’d gone out to celebrate,” he told The Irish Post. “We’d gone to sleep and my phone had died, so I only found out what had happened when my mother rang me in the morning.
“It was a huge shock. We were told that due to the pressure on his brain after he crashed, he couldn’t go to hospital in an air ambulance. He had to be taken in a normal ambulance.”
Mr McCarthy spent the next three weeks in a coma and connected to a life-support machine at The John Radcliffe Hospital – Oxfordshire’s main accident and emergency site.
He also underwent a tracheostomy – where a tube is inserted into the windpipe - to help him breathe.
Dale said that his father was brought out of sedation in mid-July, and whilst his recovery is now progressing “very well”, initially the family were concerned about the lasting effects of his injuries.
“When they first brought my dad out of sedation, he didn’t recognise us,” he said. “This only last a few days though. After physio and occupational therapy he’s now walking. He had to learn to talk again too.”
Mr McCarthy – who worked as a machine operator - is due to be discharged from hospital on October 15, when he will head back to Ireland to continue his recovery.
With a family to support back home– including two daughters at college and a son at school – the Irish community in Oxford have launched a fundraising campaign to help Mr McCarthy during this tough time.
Oxford Irish Society secretary Bernadette Downes confirmed that a benefit dance is being held on Friday, October 9 at the Cowley Workers Social Club.
“The response from the Irish community has been great,” Ms Downes. “We’ve sold loads of tickets already, and one of the biggest individual donations was £100.
“Kenneth has come on leaps and bounds, we’ve visited him every week, he’s made so much progress.”
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