A Co Down family has spoken of their hope for the future after a ‘harrowing’ year in which they endured an horrific accident followed by a devastating fire.
One year ago, on September 11, Marcus Fusco was rushed to hospital with a brain bleed after being struck by a van on Bangor’s High Street.
The now 21-year-old went on to make a ‘miraculous’ recovery.
However, just months later, the Fusco family was dealt another devastating blow when a fire ripped through the family business, Fusco Vehicle Sales.
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The family had already lost Marcus’s grandfather, Alfie Fusco, the previous August.
One year on from his accident, Marcus recalls his hardest moments.
He told The Irish News: “Waking up out of my coma was the hardest. I was placed on suicide watch. It was very tough for me, not having a clue about anything anymore.
“One minute I was very confident, enjoying my life, and then I woke up and it had all been torn apart, with no memory of how.
“I was having panic attacks, getting in my own head that I would never leave hospital.
“It was mental torture. When I went to the brain unit in Musgrave, no one was younger than 77, and visitors were allowed for two hours a day. I felt so isolated.”
Marcus came out of the coma at the end of September but remembers gaining proper consciousness later in October. He was discharged from hospital the day before his 21st birthday in November.
“Your 21st is meant to be the biggest party. You start having plans for your life, but for me it was the opposite,” he said.
Marcus now has one final major operation ahead of him, which will involve having screws inserted into his spine.
Speaking ahead of the surgery, he said it feels as though he is finally approaching the end of his recovery and gives a message of hope.
He added: “I’m excited for surgery. Without it, I would be constantly worrying, not being able to play sport and living in constant fear that a simple fall would become fatal. So, the journey is almost done, I hope.
“It isn’t over until you decide it’s over. Months ago, if I had decided, ‘This is the best I’m going to get,’ then I wouldn’t have made the recovery I’ve made.
“It might be uncomfortable, but keep trying, keep pushing yourself.”
His sister, Holly Fusco, was at a wedding in Scotland when she received the call telling her that her younger brother had been knocked down.
“It was the worst day of my life,” she told The Irish News.
“We didn’t know what was going to happen. We were told he would have some sort of disability; we just didn’t know what that would be
“Marcus and I have always been close. He said to me in hospital, ‘You’re my best friend in the whole world, Holly,’ and it broke my heart.”
But just months after Marcus returned home, the family suffered another set back, when a fire tore through Fusco Vehicle Sales, destroying 90% of the building.
“I remember just bursting into tears and asking myself, ‘Is everyone going to die?’” Holly says.
Reflecting on the past year, she added: “It’s the most unimaginable thing to go through. You’re in the middle of living a normal life and then everything changes and the world stops.
“Everyone has been so invested in Marcus’s recovery and been so supportive of our family, so we feel so lucky and blessed to be able to give a positive story to all of those who were thinking of him and us when we were going through the worst time of our lives.”
Mum Denise spoke of her pride that her son has defied the odds.
She said: “We are so grateful to have the same cheeky chappy Marcus. To see him walking and talking, all our fears have been quashed.
“You never know what’s going to happen, and for a parent to fear they are losing their child. But we pushed through as a family.
“All you can do is hope for the future. Although it might be a slightly different future, you try to make the best version of it.
“We want to thank all who supported and prayed for us both during Marcus’s recovery and after the fire.
“It’s been a harrowing year, but Marcus has defied the odds.”
