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<\/p>\nA Calgary family is looking for answers after their daughter was severely injured in an attack while visiting family in the U.K.<\/p>\n
Keeley Hethershaw, 22, was with her aunt and cousins in Berwick on Feb 21 when she was caught in the crossfire of a brawl outside a pub.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo men were fighting, and Keeley was just there,\u201d her father, Lee Hethershaw, said. \u201cShe\u2019d gone out to have a vape, and (a) girl just came over and pushed her to the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe hit her head on the curb, which fractured her skull in two places, which resulted in a blood clot in her brain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alcohol-related violence<\/p>\n
Lee, who immigrated to Canada from England 12 years ago with his wife and two daughters, said a rise in alcohol-related violence was the reason they left.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a pretty dangerous country, actually. Growing up there, every week there\u2019s fights in the town,\u201d he said. \u201cIf a fight breaks out, it can turn into other fights \u2026 It just turns into a bloody riot. I\u2019ve seen it happen myself.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the culture over there to just drink as much as you can. It\u2019s just binge-drinking culture, which gets the violence with it,\u201d he said. \u201cAlcohol is a terrible thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keeley hadn\u2019t even been in the country for 24 hours when she was attacked, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to her is actually my worst fear,\u201d he said. \u201cI left for their safety, and then this happens. It\u2019s just my worst nightmare realized.\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman and two men involved have been arrested by local police, and the incident is under investigation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe police do enforce it strongly, so that\u2019s the good thing. It\u2019s just a shame they don\u2019t prevent it in the beginning,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Keeley Hethershaw, 22, is recovering in hospital after a violent attack in the U.K. Photo provided by Hethershaw family.<\/p>\n
Keeley underwent emergency neurosurgery, and remains in the hospital battling severe brain bruising and swelling. Due to a dangerously low red blood cell count, she\u2019s also needed two blood transfusions.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just been like a bad dream ever since,\u201d Lee said. Keeley\u2019s mother has flown over to be with her, and her aunt and cousins, Lee said, have hardly left her bedside.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re very optimistic about full recovery,\u201d he said. Friday morning was the first time he was able to speak with her since the incident, which he said was very emotional.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s so determined to get better, and she\u2019s also angry it happened,\u201d he said. \u201cObviously, she\u2019s very confused. She\u2019s in a lot of pain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the extent of her injuries, however, she\u2019s remained her usual self, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was conscious before she went under for the operation \u2026 and she was so bothered about how much hair they shaved off,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was just typical Keeley, which gave us hope even at that point.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019ll be at least six weeks before she\u2019ll be cleared to fly home, but Lee said he\u2019s encouraging her to stay in the hospital as long as possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s in one of the top four best brain surgery hospitals in the world, so she\u2019s very lucky,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019ve got several neurosurgeons there. They\u2019ve even got a professor of neurology \u2026\u00a0She\u2019s got so many doctors and nurses checking on her regularly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Out-of-pocket costs<\/p>\n