The family of a boy left with life-changing injuries after being mauled by a pitbull are heartbroken he will not be home for Christmas.
But Alejandro Mizsan’s older brother has told how the young lad will keep fighting, and he hopes he can help him to keep up with his school work as he recovers. Alejandro was playing on a green area of the Old Forge Road estate in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, on Sunday when a pitbull – which was not on a leash and unmuzzled – attacked him.
The primary school pupil was left with extensive facial injuries and remains in Crumlin Children’s Hospital after undergoing two surgeries. The dog was later put down.
Read more: Full list of Ireland’s restricted dog breeds after young boy suffers horrific attack
His brother Raul, 21, has told how Alejandro is expected to stay in hospital until January – and he could be there longer – meaning that the boy will miss Christmas at his home. Raul told the Irish Mirror: “No, he won’t be home for Christmas.
“He usually really enjoys Christmas time and that time of year but it will be very hard not to have him home this Christmas.” Raul said he and his family “are not angry” but he added: “We are just in pain. We’re terrified. We don’t know what the future holds.”
Raul says he hopes that he can help Alejandro not to fall behind too much on his education, with the child expected to miss several months from his local primary school St Aidan’s. He told us: “After a couple of months, when we get back to Enniscorthy, I am going to do homework with him. I will go to the school and get the work and then come back and do the homework with him.”
Alejandro may require surgery abroad after having his face ripped apart by the dog, with his bottom lip along with both of his cheeks seriously injured. And Raul has hailed the community in Enniscorthy who set up a fundraiser which has seen €152,000 in donations made so far.
He said: “We are very thankful to everybody for all of the donations. God bless them and we thank every one of them. He will have many more surgeries but we will probably have to go to another country to get work done in the future.
“So we don’t know how much this will cost and we don’t know what is enough.” He added: “Alejandro loves Conor McGregor and he’s going to keep fighting like McGregor.”
Neighbours in the Old Forge Road estate have rallied around the family, going shopping for them and buying a tablet device for Alejandro to help him through his time in hospital. Earlier this week a 27-year-old man was charged with two offences arising out of the investigation of the dog attack. Niall Byrne is charged with two counts of threatening to kill unnamed persons following Sunday’s incident.
Byrne, with an address of Forgelands, Enniscorthy, Wexford, is also further charged with dangerous driving, having no tax or no insurance on November 4. He was remanded in custody to appear again on Monday.
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