A British man left with a catastrophic brain injury after being run over by a truck in Thailand is showing "special" signs of recovery after returning to the UK.
Family witnesses 'really special' moments
Ethan Lacey, 20, fell from a moving pickup truck in Pattaya in May. He spent over a month in a Thai hospital before his family raised enough money to bring him to Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital. His mother, Kerry, 41, said his future remains unclear, but within the last week he has started to respond to a painting his daughter made and nod in response to questions from nurses.
Kerry, from Castle Vale, Birmingham, said: "It was really special to see him showing signs like that as we haven't seen those since we came back to the UK. But we're getting positive steps and setbacks at the same time so he still faces a difficult road ahead."
She added: "He still might not recover, or could make a partial recovery and even a full recovery, we are just taking every day step-by-step and taking each positive we can when it happens."
Dad describes 'massive step forward'
Ethan's father, Kevin, posted on social media that the nurse asked Ethan if he wanted a blanket on him and he nodded. "To us, that's a massive step forward," Kevin wrote. He also noted Ethan responded to a painting by his daughter and has moved his leg and hands more. "The other positive is that he is breathing on his own. That is very unusual for someone with brain injuries as bad as Ethan's," Kevin said.
However, Kevin added that Ethan still faces obstacles: "The bug he has now become resistant to the antibiotics that had previously been working." After more surgery, a new external ventricular drain was placed on the left side of his head, and he is on three different antibiotics.
Fundraising continues
Kerry previously said she learned of her son's injury when a friend sent a photo of him in intensive care. Ethan came out of the vehicle's window, his head hitting the ground "full force" before the rear tire drove over his head and shoulder. The family has raised nearly £30,000 via a GoFundMe page to cover medical costs and rehabilitation.
