An Argentinian jersey, signed by the world’s greatest footballer, Lionel Messi of Barcelona, is one of the prizes up for grabs a fundraiser being held this weekend to help pay for the lifesaving surgery performed on a young Derry man critically injured in a hit-and-run incident in Thailand.
Lionel Messi.
Richard Quigley (27), from Ederowen Park in Galliagh, sustained a serious head injury when he was hit by a motorbike in Bangkok on Thursday last.
Richard’s elder brother, Stephen, flew out to Bangkok on Sunday to be by his bedside and was told by the neuro surgeon who carried out the lifesaving procedure that he would have died if he had not undergone the operation.
Richard emerged from a coma briefly yesterday to speak to Stephen but is expected to remain in the hospital’s intensive care unit for another week before being moved to a ward for further treatment.
Surgery performed in a Bangkok hospital is expected to cost in the region of £6,000.
Barman Richard had been working in Bangkok for the last three years and while his social security payments cover medical costs such as GP expenses, they do not cover emergency procedures such as the one carried out to save his life.
Now, friends in Derry are fundraising to help the Richard’s family, who lost their mother Margo to cancer in June this year, pay for the surgery.
A Richard Quigley Fundraiser page has been set up on Facebook and a fundraising night will be held in Da Vinci’s, where Richard worked as a barman before moving to Thailand, this Sunday night.
Among the prizes in a draw to be held on the night will be a Argentinian football top signed by Barcelona star Lionel Messi. Tickets, priced £10 each, are available from Da Vinci’s Hotel, Clare and Mary O’Doherty, Lisa Quigley and Therese McMenamin.
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