A British teenager who suffered a severe head injury while on a football holiday in Ibiza has made a remarkable recovery after spending four months on a stroke ward. Daniel Hurst, then 19, from Yateley, Hampshire, was airlifted to Majorca for emergency surgery after going missing following a night out with his Yateley United Football Club teammates.
His father, Steve, was told by police that a British boy had been hospitalised with critical head injuries and was not expected to survive the night. Medics removed part of Daniel's skull to relieve swelling, and after four weeks in a Spanish hospital, he was stable enough to be flown to Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey.
At Frimley, Daniel spent four months on a stroke unit, becoming the youngest patient ever treated there. He arrived unable to walk or talk, but thanks to the care he received, he is now planning to run the London Marathon to raise funds for the hospital's charity. He is also back playing football with his teammates and working at a local golf club.
Daniel wants to raise awareness that recovery is possible after traumatic brain injury. 'You have to keep moving forward,' he said. 'I want to help motivate people to just keep going forward – your life is never over.' Consultant stroke physician Dr Tilly Speirs noted that when Daniel arrived, he had post-traumatic amnesia and could not recall recent events, but he has 'done remarkably well.'
His father Steve urged holiday-goers to 'stick with someone, just be wary of surroundings.' Daniel added: 'I would urge people to just be careful and always stick with at least one or two people, just always stay together.'
