I'll have to wear helmet for rest of my life after horror NY attack

Geraldine Gittens

A Dublin dad who suffered serious brain injuries after an unprovoked attack in New York now fears he and his family are facing homelessness.

Lucan man Barry McCormack (35), living in Yonkers, NY, and pictured here before the attack with his family, was brutally beaten up while he was out with his wife Cheryl.

Since the attack in July last year, the father of two has endured four brain surgeries and is now forced to wear a protective helmet.

Barry has been forced to give up work as a carpenter and says the family's savings are now almost depleted.

He suffered a fractured temple, a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain and an enlarged brain, and was rushed to hospital where doctors put him into a medically induced coma.

Barry now has an eight-week memory loss from the time of the attack, and he has had four brain surgeries and has been wearing the helmet since January.

CARAVANS

He told the Herald: "We were living upstate with a view to buying a house, but now this has completely obliterated our savings.

"We're getting a very limited amount of food stamps, which is $240 per month, and with two young boys and ourselves, that doesn't weigh up."

The family have moved to cheaper accommodation in Yonkers and sold one car in a desperate attempt to keep the bills paid. Barry explained: "We're fighting to try and survive. We might make it to Christmas with no income coming in. We might be like the guys on the side of the road in caravans, except we'll have no caravans. But I'm not going to move into a project area with my wife and kids, I can't do that." He added: "Because of the injury I'm not medically allowed to fly.

"We were due to come home last Christmas when Cheryl was going to meet all my family and the boys were due to see Ireland.

"I feel like everything is conspiring against us, and I'm not a negative person.

"What happened to me is going to be a lifelong process to recover from."

Surgery this week would have finally allowed him to set aside the headgear, and eventually return to work, but it has now been postponed to November.

Cheryl McCormack can be contacted at chernic12@aol.com.

hnews@herald.ie

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