It's been one year since San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow received a horrific brain injury as the result of an altercation during Opening Day at Dodger Stadium. Stow was on the minds and in the hearts of a lot of Giants fans in 2011 but has slipped out of the collective consciousness during the long offseason. Now that the Giants are about to return home for the first time in 2012, so too do our thoughts return to Bryan Stow.
Mark Purdy at the Mercury News has written a "one year later" retrospective on Stow, his family and his progress since the beating that left him in a coma.There were hopes that Stow would be able to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the first game at AT&T Park this year. The idea, while a fantastic one, is unrealistic at the moment. While Stow has made a lot of strides in his rehabilitation, he still has a long way to go.
Yet when you consider that a year ago at this time, Stow was battling to breathe on his own, his situation is remarkable. When he left intensive care, he was moved to the UCLA Medical Center and then to San Francisco General Hospital. This was followed by his hardworking stint at Valley Med, where he managed to pull himself into a standing position with the help of a metal frame.
The outlook for Stow is perhaps not what people would expect and his brain injury is almost certainly worse than many of us perhaps initially thought. The family is remaining positive, but there is still a long road ahead for all of them.
It's well worth a read for the entire article. Take a few minutes and click through.
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