Seán Cox is to attend a fundraising match in his honour, between the "Legends" of Liverpool and the FAI next Friday.
The Meath man, who turns 54 next week, suffered a severe brain injury after he was savagely attacked near Anfield on April 24th last year, ahead of the Champions League semi-final between Liverpool and Roma.
His wife Martina said: “Seán will be attending the match. It will be quite overwhelming for him, as it’s his first time in a public setting, so we’re hoping that people will respect his privacy. At the same time, it’s a great honour for him to be there, and it reflects the support that’s out there for Seán.”
He returned home to Ireland last June, initially to Beaumont hospital. In October, he was transferred to the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) in Dún Laoghaire, and has been continuing his recovery there. Since then, he has left hospital just twice.
"He's been home here twice," Martina Cox said in an interview this weekend. (Read Jennifer O'Connell's full interview with Martina Cox here)
“Only for a couple of hours, a year on, but just to have him in the house was amazing. That was probably one of the biggest things for us. We’ve been living here without Seán, without his presence, and it’s just awful. And he’s missing so much.”
His stay in the NRH has been extended until the end of June. Beyond that, the family is exploring options to continue his rehabilitation in the UK, because “he needs extensive rehab post the NRH. He has such a long recovery ahead of him.”
Ms Cox said she is hopeful the family can get him back home permanently by Christmas. “We just take it week-by-week, day-by-day. He is making progress. You can see where he’s got to, but you can also see how far he still has to go.”
She said the support from the public ahead of Friday's fundraiser has been "unbelievable." A team of Liverpool FC legends, managed by Kenny Dalglish and captained by Ian Rush will take on a team managed by Mick McCarthy and captained by Robbie Keane at the Aviva, Dublin, on Friday April 12th.
“Let’s just hope we fill the stadium for him. The Irish Legends versus the Liverpool Legends -- you’re not going to get anything better than that.”
Tickets are available at ticketmaster.ie/LFC and people can make a donation at supportsean.com.
