Derry man is critically injured in Bali accident

Aidan Griffin, aged 22, is originally from Leenan Gardens in the Creggan Estate but is now based in Perth in Western Australia.

He suffered horrific injuries in a moped collision in Bali on Sunday, May 5.

For eight days, Aidan has been receiving emergency medical care in a hospital in Kuta in the south of the island, leaving his family and friends fraught with anxiety.

“He has fractured his neck. He has broken his pelvis. He has internal bleeding. His face is badly cut. He has lost half a front tooth and the other one is hanging off, so he is going to lose that as well. He is in a very bad way,” his sister Catherine told the ‘Journal’.

In the immediate aftermath of the accident, Aidan’s family feared the worst.

“We thought he was paralysed but, after undergoing his first surgery, he has got a bit of movement back. He is still in a neck brace. He had a sling on his hip as he was going through surgery.

“It was extremely scary for a couple of days,” Catherine said.

This feeling of helplessness was exacerbated by the Balinese hospital authorities asking for money to be wired on what was a Bank Holiday in Derry when it was clear to Catherine that her younger brother required treatment immediately.

“I was frantic because they were looking for money to be transferred before they proceeded with treatment. He was bleeding out and the haemoglobin levels they were sharing with us were not good.

“I have a friend who is a nurse and she was saying, ‘Catherine, that’s dangerously low’. He has had several blood transfusions and is awaiting more and they are struggling to get the blood at the minute,” says Catherine.

Thankfully, what could have been a dire prognosis appeared less drastic at the weekend.

“He seems to be improving a bit. He is conscious and talking. He just can't move and do anything for himself.

"He is really only moving his eyes and his arms. During the week, we really thought he was paralysed but, looking at him now, he has a bit more movement back since his surgery.”

Aidan’s red blood cell count, however, remains a critical concern.

“They want to get the blood levels up so that he is in a more stable state,” says Catherine.

“At the minute, he is still critical as the levels are really, really dangerous.

"He is still not out of the woods. But he is talking and he is conscious.”

Catherine explained that a cousin had travelled from Perth to be with him but had had to return to Australia to care for her young family.

A Balinese friend of Aidan’s has being providing invaluable support and corresponding with the family.

“He is helpless. Somebody is holding the phone for him. Somebody has to give him a drink of water. Somebody has to help him eat.

"There is also no air conditioning. A Balinese girl, a friend of Aidan’s, is standing beside him with a piece of cardboard fanning him down.

“She has been amazing. She said: ‘I wouldn’t want to be in a country on my own where nobody knows me.’

“Aidan hasn't been able to move off his back since the accident. He is a bit emotional and frustrated. But seeing him talking and knowing he is alright… he is in a lot of pain.

"He has had plates put in his pelvis which is now back in its right place. Previously, it was resting on his spinal cord but, now they have done the surgery, he can scratch his feet.”

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Following the calamity, Aidan’s friends set up a GoFundMe page to help the him and his family with the extensive medical costs required to get him back to himself.

Eimear Lancaster, who set up the fundraiser, said: “The hospital have told Aidan’s family that he will need an extensive stay at hospital with multiple surgeries.

“This holds a massive cost to the family to ensure that their son and brother gets the best care he needs.

“This GoFundMe is set up to support the family with the costs of medical bills and hospital stays for Aidan.

“We have an amazing community, so, if you could please spare whatever you can to help, it would be very much appreciated.”

Initial quotes for Aidan’s medical care stood at £20,000 but this could well rise.

By Monday, the GoFundMe had raised an incredible £12,565.

Sadly, Aidan’s ordeal has come at what was due to be a time of joy and celebration for the Griffin family who are split between Perth and Derry.

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Catherine arrived home from Perth, where she now lives, on the Sunday of the accident.

She is due to wed her partner Niall in Derry in just a few weeks.

“I was ready to jump back on a plane on the Monday. I nearly died when my daddy came in with that news.

“It's been so hard because all our family have started making their way back home now. Aidan was due to come back on May 23.

“He had to work for a wee while longer. We were all coming back because I'm getting married on June 1. This is the first time in 11 years we were all going to be together in Ireland in the one place. We were all buzzing.”

To support the fundraiser to meet Aidan’s medical costs, visit: www.gofundme.com/f/aidans-medical-costs

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