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.