Amherst woman’s injured son is back in Amherst

Dylan Gogan is home and his mother couldn’t be happier.

Gogan, 28, was beaten by three other inmates at an Alberta remand centre just days after being charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault following a stabbing incident in Grande Prairie on March 6.

“It’s wonderful, it’s terrific,” Gogan’s mother Christine Arsenault said early ursday. “He’s still unresponsive and there’s no way of knowing if or when he’ll get better, but at least he’s here and I can go see him when I want.”

She’s not sure who covered the cost of his transfer by air ambulance from the University of Alberta hospital in Edmonton to the regional hospital in Amherst. She believes the bill is being covered by Alberta since Nova Scotia told her Dylan had to be in the province for 90 days before it would cover any expenses.

Arsenault said her son was found bloodied and unresponsive in his cell by corrections sta soon after the incident and airlifted to Edmonton. He suffered an axonal brain injury and will probably require around-theclock care for the rest of his life.

She said everything happened very fast the last few days.

“I was just going to bed on Tuesday night when the phone rang. I didn’t get to answer it in time, but checked the number and saw that it was the hospital (in Alberta) ... a nurse told me … Dylan was going to be transferred home and would be leaving the next day.”

Arsenault was called back on Wednesday morning and was told Dylan would be going to Cumberland regional hospital and he arrived that night.

Gogan was in medical limbo for several weeks following the incident. He didn’t have Nova Scotia health coverage because he hadn’t lived here in several years, while Alberta said it wouldn’t cover his costs because he hadn’t lived there long enough. He didn’t qualify for health coverage as an inmate because the charges against him were stayed due to his medical condition.

Earlier this week, Arsenault learned he had received insurance coverage in Alberta.