NY attack footballer shows dramatic recovery

Alan O'Keeffe

A YOUNG Irish woman whose skull was broken in an attack in New York has had her face rebuilt.

Alisha Jordan (21) was hit with a concrete block in a nightmare assault that resulted in her having 10 metal plates inserted into her head.

The inter-county football star was the victim of an unprovoked assault by a stranger who appeared to be "out of his head".

Her mother, Eilish, says Alisha is making a steady recovery.

"We're so relieved she is getting better. She'll be back working again soon," said Eilish, speaking from her home in Skryne, Co Meath.

"Alisha has been told she will always have to wear a mask for protection if she wants to play football," she said.

Alisha, a star player for the Meath team, inset, had travelled to New York, where she began playing for the Cavan women's team.

While walking home in the Bronx with a woman friend one night in July, a man hit her in the face with a concrete block. She suffered a broken skull, four broken teeth, a broken cheekbone and a shattered nose.

Her friend chased the man away.

Mrs Jordan said she and her other daughter, Colleen, had stayed with Alisha for two weeks.

A dentist provided Alisha with four crowns to cover her broken front teeth, free of charge, she said.

A fundraiser for medical bills took place at The Palace nightclub in Navan last month, supported by Meath GAA and Skryne GAA and supporters. Another one will take place in Danny Mac's pub in Yonkers, New York on November 25.

Mrs Jordan said she hoped the US public health system will cover her medical costs.

Although horrified at Alisha's facial injuries, Mrs Jordan said the scars are starting to fade and she's now "looking well".

aokeeffe@herald.ie