ONE punch changed the future for Chris Sweeney, who suffered horrific head injuries after being knocked to the ground as he stepped in as a peacemaker in a fight.
In the traumatic year since the attack, the former Dunstable 29-year-old has had to learn how to walk, feed himself, communicate clearly, read and write all over again.
Gentle, fun-loving Chris underwent two operations and technically ‘died’ at one stage of his treatment.
And he had to live without part of his skull for a time, to relieve pressure on his swollen brain.
Now, following a court case, his parents have spoken out about his ordeal and have made an impassioned anti-violence plea.
Dad Vince, 48, said: “We would like to get across to young people that it was one punch that caused all of this.
“But for the skill of the doctors, he would have died. And that wouldn’t have been caused by a knife or an iron bar. It was just a bare fist.
“When people hit each other, they don’t realise the damage that can happen. You don’t have to have a gun to maim someone.”
Vince, a carpenter, added: “Young people think it’s just not going to happen to them – but it can so easily happen to anybody.”
He urged parents to drive home that vital message to their children.
Life was good for Chris, who has three sisters, before the attack.
He had trained as a carpenter with Vince, and had moved out of the family home into his own place, in Watling Gardens, Dunstable.
All that changed when he was punched during a night out and hit his head on the ground.
He was in a coma and on life support for a time, and had part of his skull removed temporarily at the Royal Free Hospital, in London.
Chris wore a specially-made baseball-type hard hat until the skull section was replaced.
One of the worst moments was when he technically ‘died’.
His dad said: “It was horrific. There is no other word for it.”
The family were warned three times that it looked like Chris was not going to survive.
They coped by taking everything day by day, with a lifeline of strong support around them.
Vince said: “One day bled into another day. You go on autopilot. Nothing else mattered.”
Chris’s mum Kay, 46, said: “The rest of the world stops. It’s like being in a bubble.”
Vince added: “It’s at times like that that you really realise how much you need your family.”
Chris had to re-learn the everyday skills that he had taken for granted.
His family are proud of his progress. Kay said: “He is doing really, really well. He is far better than they expected him to be.”
Chris, who loves cars, is steadily striving to overcome his problems and dreams of driving again.
He continues to undergo therapy and currently receives support to live in a studio flat, following stays in hospital, at a rehabilitation centre and at the family home.
Kay said: “You look at Chris and you think, he is just so lucky to be here. We are happy to have what we have.”
Vince and Kay want to pass on heartfelt thanks to all who have supported Chris and the family.
That includes relatives, friends, the Luton & Dunstable Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital, Headway, Beds Police and the Acquired Brain Injury Service.
> The attack happened in Ashcroft Road, Luton, after a fight broke out in the early hours of New Year’s Day in 2010.
Last week, the News/Gazette reported that Lewis Graham, 19, of Cutlers Green, Luton, was sentenced at Luton Crown Court to three years’ custody after admitting inflicting grievous bodily harm on Chris.
Luke Dorsett, 22, of Mangrove Road, Luton, who was stabbed in the chest during the fight, was himself given two years’ custody after pleading guilty to violent disorder.
Dylan McKenzie, 31, of Telscombe Way, Luton, pleaded guilty to causing Dorsett grievous bodily harm and was jailed for three years.