SON MAY NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN
Mum tells of horrific effects of attack that left 35-year-old father of three in three-week coma:
THE mother of a man who was attacked in his own home and spent three weeks in a coma has told how her son may never fully recover.
Karl Reubins suffered a bleed on the brain and multiple broken bones in the incident at his home in Y Felinheli near Caernarfon on July 17.
The 35-year-old dad-ofthree remains in hospital in Stoke, where he was taken following the incident.
His mother Kim Reubins, who remains at his bedside, said it is “too soon” for doctors to say how much damage has been done to his brain, as he has only just come out of a three-week coma.
Speaking to North Wales Live, Ms Rebuins, 58, who lives in Devon, said: “Everything is just a waiting game to see how much brain damage there is now.
“We don’t know how much longer he will be in hospital yet, but we are talking many months before he can go home.
“I’ve been holding his hand and talking to him, and he can look at me now, but it’s too soon for a response from him yet.
“It was an almighty shock when I first saw him. It was devastating seeing him in that way.”
Ms Reubins said doctors have tried to relieve some of the pressure on her son’s head by removing part of his skull and inserting a bolt in the side of his head.
He’s also undergone a tracheostomy to insert a tube into his windpipe to help him breathe, and is being fed through a tube.
“He’s started moving his fingers again for the first time and he can hear things now, so he has made some improvement,” she added. “When I got to the hospital, a nurse sat me down and explained what had happened. It was awful. “They told me when I arrived that they were just trying to keep him alive. “They can’t say how much his injuries will change his life at the moment, but his life is not in danger any more.
“It was just so awful to hear those words, so everything else now is just a bonus. Even if he ends up in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, at least he will still be alive and we will deal with everything else as it comes.”
A JustGiving page has been launched by close friend Anthony Barnes, in a bid to help raise money for Karl’s parents with the cost of attending hospital and any longer-term care costs.
So far, £200 of the £1,000 target has been raised. To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/ crowdfunding/karlreubins
Kevin Lee Jones, 35, has been charged with causing grievous bodily harm following the incident.
He remains in custody ahead of his appearance before a judge at Caernarfon Crown Court on August 19.