“We will never give up hope,” says Dad of Ballymahon’s Max

A fateful split-second decision to go for a spin on his motorbike after he closed up his Ballymahon garage almost nine weeks ago has changed the life of 19-year old Maksymilian Zukrowski and that of his family forever.

His Dad, Artur, says he would “give everything in the world” to change the events of May 9 last, when his adored only son was involved in a horrific road traffic accident outside the village of Kenagh in Longford which has left him unresponsive to brain hypoxia (oxigen deprivation).

As he faces a monumental uphill battle to regain some semblance of the life he had before, Max's devastated parents, Artur and Jadwiga, say the comfortable life they enjoyed with their family since settling in Ballymahon in 2012 has been turned “completely upside down” and admit to struggling “every single day” to come to terms with the devastating nature of the injuries suffered by their beloved son.

Affectionately known simply as Max to his family and many friends, Maksymilian Zukrowski became a business owner 18 months ago when he took over the 'Gerry Artur Garage' in Ballymahon, changing the name to Max Motors.

Having always had a passion for cars, he had worked in the garage on and off for a number of years valeting cars and doing other odd jobs while still a student.

The business had been established in 2014 by his father, Artur, alongside his best friend, Jaroslaw (Gerry) Sobstyl, who sadly passed away after a cancer battle in January of last year. Artur himself had left the business in 2019 when he too was diagnosed with cancer.

“After Gerry passed away his wife, Sylvia, made a very kind offer for Max to take over the business since he was always in the garage and had a huge interest in everything to do with cars,” explains Artur, “so he was running it very successfully and everything was good.”

Since the day of his accident on May 9, Max Zukrowski has been in intensive care, first in the Mater Hospital where he was initially airlifted to with very serious injuries, and then in Beaumont where he underwent three major surgeries, the last of which took over eleven hours to complete.

Now back in the trauma unit at the Mater Hospital, Max has regained consciousness after being in a coma for 40 days, but his Dad says he is still unable to communicate in any meaningful way.

His father said Max had started moving his hands, and has some eye movement, but described it as “a very long road ahead”.

Artur and his wife, Jadwiga, have spent every day since their son's accident by his hospital bedside, sleeping in a caravan that they have been given permission to park near the hospital, and say they will “never give up hope” that he will recover.

“We talk to him all the time, we show him pictures to jog his memory, we look for even the smallest sign like a movement of his eyelid or his hand, any sign of hope,” says a tearful Artur.

The Zukrowskis had a meeting with his medical team recently at which they were told it was “still too early to say” what the future may hold. “The doctors said he may stay like he is for the rest of his life, or he may have some recovery, but they don't know yet.”

Amidst the distress and the sadness however, there have been small glimmers of hope, like the fact that Max is now breathing on his own and his lungs and kidneys are functioning again.

Despite the improvements in his vital functions, his neurological condition remains the most serious area of concern, and his family have been told that massive amounts of rehabilitation will be needed into the future and that their adored son will have to re-learn “every single thing just like a newborn baby”, says Artur.

The staff in Ballymahon's Maxol/Centra, where Max Zukrowski previously worked before leaving to do a welding course, recently raised €4,000 to cover his ongoing medical and recovery costs by organising to sell cakes, one slice at a time, in the local shop and filling station, and a GoFundMe page has also been set up to raise funds for the stricken family.

The page, called 'Call for help for Maksymilian' was set up by Artur recently, and to date has raised over €4.7k of its €10k target.

Artur, Jadwiga and Max's sister, 16-year old Amelia, are “deeply grateful” to everyone who has donated, and also to the many members of the local community in Ballymahon and beyond, who have been “so helpful” since the accident on May 9. Having left his native Wrocklaw in southeast Poland in 2006 to make a better life for his family in Ireland, Artur says he has been "deeply touched" by the kindness shown to him and his family during his time in Ireland and especially since their son's accident.

The cost of Max's stay in Beaumont Hospital alone has left his family facing a bill in excess of €53,000, which they must now cover, and they are also acutely aware that they will face huge ongoing medical costs in a bid to assist their son's recovery.

“Max never got up from the dinner table without thanking his mother, and he was always thanking us for all we did for him,” says Artur, who vows that they would “sacrifice absolutely everything” to see him being able to communicate with them again.

“Words can never express how much we miss everything about him,” says his distraught father. “Hope is what we are left with and we will never give up hope.”

To donate to the GoFundMe page for Max Zukrowski please go to: https://www.gofundme.com/f/call-for-help-for-maksymilian