JustGiving set up for Derry man in a coma in LA

Patrick has had strong connections to Steelstown GAC since playing for them as a young man. The team are asking people to donate to the fundraiser to help pay for Patrick’s treatment and enable his family to stay with him as he recovers.

Paul O’Hea, chairperson of Steelstown said: “Paddy played underage right through to seniors and he was on the team when we got promoted to division one for the first time. That was a big occasion for the team with Paddy playing half back. He went off to Australia shortly after but he would have always kept in contact with the club, any time he’s home he would be back to the club and watch the boys train. Everyone would be quite close with Paddy still, it’s easy to keep in touch even though he’s so far away.

“Paddy went on to play in Newcastle at uni then he played in Australia when he was there. He played Aussie Rules football too and then he moved to LA at the tail end of 2020 and plays for the LA Cougars over there. Paddy is one of the fittest people you would ever meet. He’s been in Sydney and in LA and he loves the outdoor health and exercise environment. He’s always hiking, running, biking, golfing or playing football. He’s always doing something so he’s really fit and hopefully that will stand with him.

“He has a tough journey ahead of him now in terms of recovery. He has multiple broken bones and had a head injury so he’s in a coma at the minute. The Just Giving page has been set up here in Derry and there has been a fantastic response to it. Everyone can understand how difficult it must have been for Paddy’s parents to receive the news so people are happy to help in any way they can. His parents will be over with him for an extended period of time while he’s in intensive care and then during the rehab after. I know his brothers and sisters are keen to get over too so getting them there without money worries would be fantastic.

“I was talking to the LA Cougars and they have been fantastic on the ground helping Paddy’s parents. They are in a city on the other side of the world so the team are helping them navigate through things and organise transfers from the airport and things so they can focus on Paddy.

“His club over in LA have teamed up with some of the Australian teams he was involved with and that response has been amazing too. There’s people all over the world that Paddy knew or people that just heard the story and want to help. The Irish community is always there in times of crisis and emergency.

“No one would have a bad word to say about Paddy. He’s always friendly and you can see why he has these pockets of friends all over the world. He’s just such a nice fella and great craic to be around. I think it’s brilliant to see this support. People can leave a message for him and I’m sure, in time, they’ll be able to read messages out to him and he’ll see that people are rooting for him.”

Donations can be made to Paddy’s care on Justgiving.com or people in LA can donate on GoFundMe.com.