Mark MacLean and Dereda Lipsey-MacLean with their children Tyrin, 17, Javiah, 16, Sequoia, 10 and Kordei, 6. Photo / Supplied
Mark MacLean and Dereda Lipsey-MacLean with their children Tyrin, 17, Javiah, 16, Sequoia, 10 and Kordei, 6. Photo / Supplied
An Auckland man who was allegedly attacked by a group of street racers has woken from an induced coma and is working hard in rehab to get home to his family.
Mark MacLean was brutally beaten on the driveway of his home in Warkworth on December 9 after getting intoan altercation with others on the street.
MacLean suffered severe brain injuries, a fractured eye socket and was put into an induced coma for 12 days.
“When I went in to see him for the first time [after coming out of the coma], he had all these tubes coming out of his right hand side of his face and I stood on his left and he tried to lunge for me and that just made me feel so happy,” said MacLean’s wife Dereda Lispey-MacLean.
“The one thing I was worried about was that he wasn’t gonna remember me and the kids.”
When MacLean came out of his coma he couldn’t speak.
He has since been at a Auckland rehabilitation centre undergoing intense speech therapy.
Dereda said in the first five days of his therapy, MacLean’s speech had already improved by 25 per cent but it was still unclear how long he’d have to remain in rehab.
“Mark is determined to come home... he’s not one of these people that’s going to sit around and just be morbid, he’s gonna push to get back to us,” said Dereda.
“He’s doing really well considering like five weeks ago where he was [and] he was allowed to come home for the weekend which was really cool,” said Dereda.
Mark Maclean and his wife Dereda Lispey-Maclean. Photo / Supplied
MacLean spent the weekend with Dereda shopping for new shoes, eating out with his kids and relaxing at home.
“It was great, I didn’t want him to leave,” said Dereda.
“It was hard to drop him back off again.”
Dereda said they even found a way around communicating by singing to each other - a tip passed onto Dereda from one of her clients.
“So we’ve been singing to each other, not that I have the best singing voice, and his words come out really well when he sings. It’s quite amazing really,” she said.
Two men were arrested and charged in relation to the assault of MacLean.
A 21-year-old Mahurangi East resident has been charged with injuring with intent to injure and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. If convicted, he faces up to 14 years’ prison for the grievous bodily harm charge.
At his first appearance in the North Shore District Court he did not enter pleas and was granted name suppression.
Judge Bergseng ordered him to return to court this month to enter pleas.
A 19-year-old Auckland man, also accused of participating in the attack on MacLean, has been charged with assault with intent to injure. If convicted, he faces up to three years’ prison.
He has been ordered to return to court this month, at which point he is expected to enter a plea for the charge.
