A Fort McMurray man is in a medically induced coma after being randomly attacked in Calgary.
On October 15th, 33-year-old Mikey Richards was found unconscious in a bus shelter and was one of three random victims of a man with a machete.
He is now in a Calgary hospital after suffering a brain bleed, multiple skull fractures, a broken jaw and many other injuries.
Candice Richards, Mikey’s sister, tells Mix News doctors are waking Mikey up every four hours to check brain function.
She went to visit during the wake up time Tuesday and he was able to recognize her voice, squeeze her hand and wiggle his toes which is a very good sign, but the road to recovery is going to be extremely long.
Mikey does a lot of seasonal work in Fort McMurray, including roofing, and in his off time coaches hockey.
“Mikey has a huge heart, he has a lot of support and a lot of friends,” said Candice.
“He loves sports and he just loves to laugh a lot. He likes to help people, he’s really giving, he cares a lot about others – maybe not as much as he should about himself but genuinely he’s a good guy and he’s got good morals.”
Candice adds she’s not sure how long Mikey will be in the hospital, but expects it will be at least a year.
Police have arrested and charged 25-year-old Conner Dery with one count of aggravated assault and one count of carrying a concealed weapon, but this arrest is related to other attacks.
“I’ve been working closely with investigations and the investigator on the case. They do have someone in custody and at this point they do believe he is responsible for all three attacks but we need the evidence in place,” added Candice
A GoFundMe campaign has been made to help cover the costs of Mikey’s recovery; as the extent of his injuries are unknown at this time.
“We just don’t know how extensive the damage is. His speech, his motor function. We don’t know what the damage is yet.”
Candice also asked that the public not forget the other victims and their families, one taken to hospital after being slashed by a machete who is expected to make a full recovery, and another who was knocked unconscious but did not need medical attention.
“We’re angry. We just don’t understand how anybody could brutally assault somebody like that for no reason. I just don’t understand.”
A separate campaign has been set up titled ‘Justice for Mikey’ where stickers to show support can be purchased.
“He’s a tough kid. He’s been through a lot. This is not his first battle but this will be his hardest.”
Mikey turns 34 on Thursday.