THE wife of injured Irish football fan Sean Cox has revealed that she will move to the UK with him as he continues with his recovery after a devastating life-changing attack.

As the first anniversary of the devastating incident approaches, Martina Cox has spoken about her husband Sean’s progress and how a fundraiser football match to raise money for his rehabilitation expenses will be a “milestone” for their family.

Father-of-three Sean, from Dunboyne in Co Meath, suffered life-changing injuries after an unprovoked attacked by Roma supporter Simone Mastrelli outside of Anfield Stadium on April 24 last year.

Speaking to Ray D’Arcy on RTE Radio One today, his devoted wife Martina gave an update on Sean’s progress as he leaves the National Rehabilitation Hospital.

She said: “I’m okay, it’s been a pretty whirlwind year for us really, it’s just unreal…

“He is doing okay considering the horrific injuries that he has, it’s a very slow progress but he is making progress, obviously the most progress that he has made since he went to the rehabilitation centre in October.

“That’s really important that he gets that level of rehab and he will need that for a long time going forward.

“What we’re looking at now is rehab facilities in the UK because unfortunately in Ireland there isn’t anything past the NRH, which is shameful really.

“I’m looking into that and once we find the best fit for Sean I am going to move over there with Sean and he will probably be there for three or four months depending on the programme they give him.”

She added: “He’s finished at the NRH, Sean could do with being there for another year but unfortunately you only get a certain amount of time there so we will fund his rehabilitation in the UK.

“They have different things over there that we don’t have here, which is good, obviously it’s a bigger country so they have more facilities, so that’s good.

“I’ve two [children] in college and one is doing the Leaving Cert at the minute.

“We’ll do a rota between us which is what we’ve done for the last year between Sean’s brothers and sisters and some of my family as well.

“I’ll be there all of the time and then people will come and go.”

• Read More: Seamus Coleman and Liverpool players urge fans to flock to the Aviva Stadium for Sean Cox fundraiser

She said that speech is one of the things Sean has struggled with during his recovery but that he has been able to sing.

“His speech is slow, he’s finding that part difficult and it’s frustrating for him, he finds it hard to get the words out.

“Singing comes from a different part of the brain so if you sing he will sing it too or even sing along.

“He sings all sorts, Aslan, Liverpool’s You’ll Never Walk Alone, we sing that a lot,” Martina noted.

Kenny Dalglish will lead a star-studded Liverpool team against an Ireland side featuring Robbie Keane and a host of big names at the Aviva Stadium on Friday.

Sean is going to be among those attending the game, which Martina called a “milestone.”

“Hopefully we’ll get a packed audience but I think it’ll be great fun…

“It’s huge, it’s big in the sense that he’s actually getting to go to the Aviva Stadium.

“He’s actually leaving the hospital and will be going to the stadium, he hasn’t done anything like this, the only thing he’s done is be out to the house twice for a couple of hours.

“It is a big milestone,” Martina said.

• Read More: Seán Cox will leave hospital for the first time to attend Friday’s Ireland and Liverpool legends charity match

Martina touched on how difficult it has been for Sean to have missed out on family occasions over the past year and said that he would have loved to have seen Liverpool beat Porto on Tuesday night but she said they are determined to stay focused on their future.

She said: “It’s hard to believe that everything changed in the matter of 17 seconds, Sean’s life was completely changed and our lives were

changed as well.

“It’s the first thing I think of every morning and the last thing at night, there are times when you think did this really happy and unfortunately it has.

“The focus is Sean and trying to get him to the best level that we can…

“He’s got to where he is today because he’s determined, he is a fighter.

“He’s very determined and always have been. Any challenge that has come his way he’s done it.

“You can’t give up but I think one of the most important things to know is that he has to get the proper rehabilitation because if he doesn’t get that he won’t progress.

“So that’s really important and that’s why we are giving him this opportunity.”

• Tickets to the republic of Ireland XI v Liverpool FC Legends match are available here
• For more information or to donate please visit www.supportsean.com

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