Still in Pain—And in Need

In early June, 26 months after being hospitalized for brain trauma suffered in an attack outside Dodger Stadium, Giants fan Bryan Stow was sent home from his 24-hour care facility in Bakersfield, Calif. A sign of progress? Alas, no. According to his family, Stow's release came after his insurance company stopped paying for therapy, leaving the family to fund the treatment that Stow, 44, still requires.

A paramedic and divorced father of two, Stow was beaten in the stadium parking lot after the Giants' 2011 Opening Day loss to the Dodgers, leaving him comatose with a fractured skull. (Louis Sanchez and Marvin Norwood have pleaded not guilty to charges of mayhem, assault and battery. Two civil suits against the Dodgers are pending.) Stow has regained some cognitive ability but remains far from his former self and in constant pain. A wave of support followed the attack, and the Stows hope it continues as they solicit donations to help pay for round-the-clock assistance. "We do what we can at home, but he needs the 5 days a week," reads a post on the family's website, Support4BryanStow.com. "We just don't know how to get that."

PHOTO

COURTESY OF THE STOW FAMILY (STOW)