MARK McGOVERN MADE headlines in June when an alleged assault during a Gaelic football match in San Francisco left him comatose, with a low likelihood of recovery.
The 23-year-old defied the odds, however, first to regain consciousness and then to begin a rehabilitative programme at which he has thus far excelled.
Speaking to RTÉ’s Des Cahill this afternoon, the footballer described his return to Fermanagh– a journey that, owing to the potential dangers of air travel, took nearly two weeks– as being accompanied with “a sense of relief”.
The man alleged to have carried out the assault, Patrick Power of the San Francisco Celts, has become the subject of an ongoing police investigation and been issued with a 96-week ban from competition since the incident.
McGovern’s memories of the incident, however, are far from lucid:
“The lad hit me a couple of times. I gave him a box just to let him know I was there, but he kept hitting me… Later on, when I ran forward to help take a ball, he pretty much came up and whacked me. I can’t really remember what happened afterwards.”
Though he’s made incredible progress since regaining consciousness, successfully relearning a host of basic skills, McGovern concedes that his road to recovery is far from over.
“My speech still has to be worked on; my balance, too, has a lot to said for it… I’ll have rehab running for the next six months, probably longer. I can’t work, can’t drive and can’t drink, either. It’ll be a quiet year for me.”
In addition to exacting a harsh emotional cost, the saga has also pushed the McGovern family to the brink of financial catastrophe. Mark’s medical bills, excluding the mounting costs of his domestic rehabilitation, currently exceed $1.2m.
Those who wish to donate to contribute to the alleviation of that debt should visit www.support4markmcgovern.com.
Just in response to the42.ie’s constant ads for Boyle Sports on their rugby articles, I’ll link to the news story of their parent site. The question…will they remove a comment that links to an article on their own parent site outlining Ireland problem gambling, or will they just ignore the fact that they are openly advertising gambling at the same time they are also reporting the harms of gambling?
https://www.thejournal.ie/130k-people-in-ireland-have-a-gambling-addiction-as-new-bill-aims-to-regulate-the-industry-6186839-Oct2023/
#WhEnThEfUnStOpS
@JoeVlogs: Spin that wheel baby!!
@JoeVlogs: Such is the dialethics of life. How do they make money without advertising revenue? Betting, alcohol, etc. all no doubt cause a lot of harm (and arguably a great deal of joy too) but they pay, and people need money to survive, as capitalism evolves so too does our addiction to money. Like why does Soros need more? (because like most business people he’s addicted to accumulating wealth and power). How do we protect the smallest number of people who may be vulnerable to addiction while supporting the majority’s personal freedoms, you won find an answer
@JoeVlogs: ive a gambling issue to ads should be banned plus im a subscriber
Good man Tadhg Furlong, another vital cog in this Irish machine.
A proper attitude can bring you a long way! Massive respect to him
@Tony Metcalfe: I see what you did there
@Tony Metcalfe: it could bring you a couple of furlongs. But at the same time you only need one Furlong
Good to hear he is in good nick. He is a very important player but not as vital as Porter. Bealham was excellent in the 6ns and O’Toole was also reliable. If Porter were to get injured I would be quite apprehensive about the scrummaging ability of his replacements.
Struggling a lot for two years now. First man off the field in the Hcup final on 44 minutes. Man must be broke up. Glad to hear he’s feeling good.
But injuries are catching up he should be around for next world cup do legend