In what can only be described as a miraculous recovery, Mark McGovern, the Irish Gaelic football star, has regained consciousness from a coma suffered after an opposing player struck him during his first Gaelic football game in San Francisco.
However the young footballer’s family is now $ 1 million in debt as they seek to try and help him recover.
Mark McGovern, a native of Belcoo, Co. Fermanagh, was one of Irelands’ finest up-and-coming Inter County Gaelic Footballers. Mark recently took a break from his Inter County commitments with the Fermanagh team and traveled to San Francisco to play Gaelic football for the summer.
On June 25th 2011, Mark sustained a severe brain injury following an off-the-ball incident during his very first match in the US. An opposing player, also from Ireland, has been named as a suspect by police.
Mark McGovern spent five weeks in San Francisco General Hospital intensive care unit in a critical condition. During this time, Mark suffered a severe bout of pneumonia along with infection from the MRSA bug. Both conditions were considered life-threatening, but thanks to his incredible resolve and the professional skills of the staff at SF General, Mark overcame both and has recently started an intensive course of rehabilitation.
To date, Mark’s medical costs have already exceeded $1,100,000 USD. While Mark continues to make progress, the path to full recovery is likely to be a long one and significant costs and medical expenses will continue to mount daily.
To counter this, The Mark Mc Govern Rehabilitation Fund Raising Committee was recently formed to raise funds to cover the cost of Mark's medical expenses.
A Fund Raising Committee has been set-up to help raise funds for Mark and his family. If you would like to donate money or help with fundraising more details can be found at www.support4markmcgovern.com.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.falconflash | Aug 15, 2011, 01:08 PM EDT
Good ideas but let's also put pressure on the DA to arrest and prosecute the animal who should be charged with attempted manslaughter.....what is this mutts background, martial arts? He certainly knew how to launch a life threatening attack.
GeorgeDillon | Aug 15, 2011, 12:55 PM EDT
CroughPatrick--I won't argue with you about the Irish medical "system". It terrifies me and I always breath a sigh of relief when my plane out of Dublin gets airborne and I know that I have once more avoided contact with the Irish hospitals. I think the point that several posters have made is really important--the GAA, and/or the San Francisco club, owe a duty of care to this young man. I doubt that the SF club has any spare cash, so it's up to the GAA to step up to the plate. For example, if they want to avoid accepting liability, they could organize a collection at the All of Ireland Games that come up in September at Croke Park. There are not far off 100,000 people at those games. Should be able to collect 100.000 bucks no problem.
falconflash | Aug 15, 2011, 12:30 PM EDT
People pop off about the American system but when an American defends it people like TIOCF stoop to name calling ("arrogance of some Americans") I mean, you want me to sit here and watch a few socialists bash a great U.S. health care system? Just the facts Tiocf: We may have a problem of how to pay for it but our health care is fabulous.
TiocfaidhArmani | Aug 15, 2011, 11:40 AM EDT
How do people know he wouldn't have survived in Ireland and Canada? Is it only the US you can possibly survive and a brain injury? Jeez the arrogance of some Americans is unreal.
falconflash | Aug 15, 2011, 12:14 AM EDT
But with Canadian or Irish health care you wouldn't have survived this man's injuries....
falconflash | Aug 15, 2011, 12:09 AM EDT
But with Canadian health care you wouldn't have survived this man's injuries.......
canadianirish | Aug 14, 2011, 07:59 PM EDT
Glad I live in Canada where we have medicare! No expenses like this :)
Mairin67 | Aug 14, 2011, 07:20 PM EDT
Everyone travelling ot the US should be well prepared with a health insurance policy. This article doesn't mention if he had one or not, but wouldn't the football team have coverage or at least advise their players, or make mandatory, that they get coverage? Maybe he does have coverage and the million dollars is just his portion.... In any event, it is great to see him making progress.
petedev | Aug 14, 2011, 03:16 PM EDT
the title of this article is very misleading. Mark is only in debt if he is responsible for the medical expenses.Since it is very unlikely that the person who assaulted him would be able to pay the bill even after a civil court case the issue is whether he skips the country or those who brought him out to play gaelic football face up to their responsibilities and use their insurance. I would be very surprised if he left Ireland without his own insurance and since this is not considered a "dangerous" sport in insurance terms he should be covered. If not, then either the club he played for should have insurance or the bosses of GAA in dubllin, with millions at their disposal should do the honourable thing.
CitizenWhy | Aug 14, 2011, 02:09 PM EDT
Wonderful news on his recovery. He does not have to pay those US health bills. Just walk away. Republicans have been saying for years that we don't need universal health care because people can just walk into an Emergency Room, get help, and skip the bills. Of course the government ends up paying. ... P.S. The one time I visited an Emergency Room (Christmas Eve, many years ago), for a problem that at that time required a $25 cortisone shot, the visit ended up costing me nearly $900 (Yes, I paid). Using the ER as a universal system greatly inflates the cost US healthcare.
irislegalperson | Aug 14, 2011, 02:02 PM EDT
First of all, so delighted to hear Mark is doing so well and a huge thank you to SF General for obviously doing an amazing job caring for Mark and his family. I am an American citizen living in SF for 20 years and yes the health care system in USA need a lot of fixing. My tax dollars go to a lot of unnecessary places here but if my tax dollars are going to SF General and other care facilities like that, and helping others like Mark then I am happy. There is a saying in Ireland...Health is your wealth.... No money in the world can pay for it and personally I do not begrudge my tax dollars going toward any persons/human beings health that they themselves are unable to pay for. We can all play the blame game but a young lad, son, brother, nephew, friend is lying in a hospital due to no fault of his own and he just wants to live a life like the rest of us. One thing I will say is.. the organization who brought this young lad out here should have been more prepared for something like this happening. After all, this is a contact sport and stuff happens. Maybe next time have some sort of insurance for young lads like Mark before bringing them out here and asking them to play in a rough contact sport. That to me is irresponsible and that is all I am going to say.
burlington | Aug 14, 2011, 01:26 PM EDT
The U.S. does not have the best system in the world in my opinion. I totally agree with Sparklet's comments where at least in the U.K. you wont bo bankrupt like in the U.S. over medical bills.
Searlit | Aug 14, 2011, 01:09 PM EDT
I agree with JohnnyMac.
JohnnyMac | Aug 14, 2011, 12:21 PM EDT
He is not in debt. He is the victim of a violent crime, and in the US there is a "victim's fund" that covers such debts. If and when the accused is arrested and found guilty, he will be responsible in civil court to pay damages to Mark McGovern AND the McGovern Family. The family may sue the accused for the expenses they incurred while being here in the States with their son. No Mark McGovern is not in debt due to this crime.
CroughPatrick | Aug 14, 2011, 11:27 AM EDT
GeorgeDillion, there was nothing in my statement that says he or other tourists or the poor should be turned away at a hospital in the US. what I said is a fact. He doesnt have to pay. Just as God forbid he dies, his family does not have to pay his bills. Its just one of many reasons health care is expensive in the US. We have the most expensive and also the best. Like I said, this happens to him in Ireland, he is dead for sure. It happened in the US , he's still alive against all odds. once he's better, let's get him on a plane so his own country can start footing the rehab bill. Who was that girl who got hurt in America and the doctors saved her, but when she went back to Ireland for rehab she took a turn for the worse? I'v heard the stories about the care you get in an Irish hospital. If I was in a serious car accident and my leg was falling off in Ireland, I wouldnt say hurry get me to the hospital, Id say get me to Shannon Airport now. Would you rather be treated for a serious illness for free in the US or Ireland/England? I think we all agree on that one ;)
Sparklet | Aug 14, 2011, 10:37 AM EDT
The UK NHS system is far from perfect, but thank God for it, and thousands of Irish get to benefit from it too.
GeorgeDillon | Aug 14, 2011, 10:35 AM EDT
CroughPatrick: You should be ashamed of yourself. You may want to live in a USA where foreign guests of our country are turned away in their hour of need when a calamity befalls them. I sure don't. It's not what my religion teaches me, and it's not what my Irish forebears taught me. If you happen to go to Ireland, North or South, and are involved in a serious accident, I hope you'll be consistent and refuse care paid for by Irish taxpayers.
PhlutiePhan | Aug 14, 2011, 10:25 AM EDT
Obviously, this is a sad indictment of our health care system. It is also a commentary on sports in the US with a "win at any cost" mentality. The reform of the healthcare system was hijacked by radical feminists who push and push and push for abortion while men need medical care.
CroughPatrick | Aug 14, 2011, 10:19 AM EDT
I hope he fully recovers and I dont want to sound cold but he doesn't have to pay a penny. He is 22 years old and is not a citizen of the US. When he can,he will fly back to Belfast without worrying about his bills here. The quicker he goes back the better for the US tax payer. If you want to raise funds for his rehab back in Fermanagh or a ramp at his house then great. One of the reasons US health care is so expensive is because the people who do have insurance have to pay for the people who don't, like this guy who isn't even an American citizen. His family knows had this happened back in N. Ireland, he'd be dead and buried weeks ago. He is getting some of the best care in the world in that American hospital and I think its great they want to raise money for the bills. But the reality is the poor in America are not dieing, they get great care when needed in emergencies like this one. They are kept alive on machines when they might be better off dead. I'm not saying that is the case here, but shouldnt this guy and the whole team been mandated to have health insurance before playing this violent sport in America? I know whenever an American high school or college hockey team goes to play in a sanctioned game in Canada, the team must have insurance.
johnymac60 | Aug 14, 2011, 10:01 AM EDT
Not really. The cost of similar treatment in Ireland is the same. In some cases, the course of treatment is simply not available, in which case, young Mark would have died. Hospitals in America are forbidden by law to turn away the needy, and this treatment would be available to any US citizen in the same health crisis. The finance numbers are huge but that is the battleground for politicians, greedy doctors and greedier insurance companies, any life-threatening illness or injury devastates the persons life and livelihood. Not just in America.
antoman | Aug 14, 2011, 09:20 AM EDT
One million huh?Another five million and he could be the six million dollar man.Even having his own tv show.The cost of medicine in America is ludicrous and suggests to me that the poor in America must be dieing in their droves and its going unreported.