An Irish man riding through France with his partner has been left in need of expensive medical care. Mike Curran and Sara O'Shea were both injured in the same crash in France.
An Irishman who has come out of a coma following a serious cycling crash in France now faces fees of €50,000 per month for rehab.
Mike Curran has emerged from his coma and has now been transferred to the UK for rehabilitation.
The specialist care he needs is not available in Ireland because of waiting lists. It means he faces about six months in Britain.
That period may be longer and because the costs are €50,000 per month, a new fundraising drive has been launched for him.
To date some €123,000 of a €300,000 target has been achieved. But his family has said more will be needed.
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The injured man’s stay in specialist care may also be longer than six months, in which case the costs would increase.
His friend Kieran Clifford has updated a GoFundMe page with progress in the case. He said Wellington Hospital in St John's Wood, London, could treat him.
“Mike is out of the coma but there is a long road of recovery ahead of him,” he wrote of Curran, who suffered a brain injury.
“His family have researched the best options and identified a rehab facility in the UK willing to take him. They require proof of ability to pay in advance.
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“The costs are €50,000 per month and treatment is likely to take six months, maybe more. This is why we needed to increase our fundraising goal.”
Mike Curran (32), from Waterville, was cycling in France when he and his partner were hit by a car.
The injured man had been in an induced coma for weeks after the crash. It happened between Rime and Paris about seven weeks ago.
His partner, Sara O’Shea from Keel, Co Kerry, was injured in the same crash, though her injuries were less serious.
The crash occurred just as a two-year trip around the world was coming to an end for the couple.
They were riding through France on their journey back to Ireland. They had planned to complete their cycling journey across France before going to England and back to Ireland.
The couple gave up their jobs in Ireland and set off in August, 2016, to travel. They journeyed up through Africa, from Cape Town in South Africa to Cairo in Egypt.
They then travelled towards India, Nepal, Central Asia and the Middle East. The initial plan was to be away from home for a year.
However, as they were enjoying their adventure so much they decided to prolong it. They did so by deciding they would take to their bikes and cycle home from China.
That involved travelling to Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Iraq, Israel and Jordan.
From there they went to Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Kosovo, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Italy, Germany and France.
However, the trip was sadly derailed and Michael Curran badly injured when they got to France.
Curran is well known in his native Kerry having played football for the county in 2002 and 2003.
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