The parents of UCD student Natasha McShane, who is in critical condition in hospital after being assaulted in Chicago last week, have said they are "devastated and heartbroken for their beautiful daughter”.
Ms McShane, a postgraduate student from UCD who was studying at the University of Illinois in Chicago, was with a friend, Stacy Jurich (24), when they were attacked while on the way back to the friend's house in the Bucktown area of the US city.
The 23-year-old sustained serious head injuries in the assault by a mugger wielding a baseball bat.
Prosecutors at the court hearing of Marcy Cruz, suspected of involvement in the attack on the two friends, yesterday said that doctors feared Ms McShane may never walk or speak again.
Ms Cruz (25) and her boyfriend Heriberto Viramontes (30) were charged with armed robbery and aggravated battery.
Bail was declined for Mr Viramontes while bail was set at $1 million for Ms Cruz, after prosecutors said she was “just as culpable and as guilty for every whack of the bat".
Liam and Sheila McShane last night released a statement through Northwestern Memorial Hospital where their daughter remains in a critical condition. She is "everything a parent could ever wish for in a daughter", they said.
The McShanes were "shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific assault" on their daughter and her friend Stacey Jurich.
The McShanes thanked all those who had "reached out to them with offers of help and prayer".
They were "greatly comforted" by the growing support from friends and strangers. They asked the public to keep their daughter in their thoughts and prayers during the "critical coming weeks".
The family said it had received many offers to help with her medical expenses and had set up a Natasha McShane Care Account at the North Bank in Chicago to this end.
A website, helpnatasha.net, has also been set up to help raise money for Ms McShane's family who have flown from Ireland and Australia to be at her side.
Members of the public can also make donations through Natasha's employer Butch McGuire. Natasha had been working part-time at the Irish bar prior to the attack.
Ms McShane studied environmental planning at UCD. In the summer after completing her first year of college she travelled to the Dominican Republic to volunteer on a project building schools for children.