Marcin's critical situation is clear from these photos of him in happier, healthier days and more recently as he battles with ill-health.

Marcin's plea for lifesaving treatment

A POLISH family in Castlebar are pleading with the Mayo public for their support in getting lifesaving medical treatment back home.

Marcin Mazur (42), who has lived and worked in Castlebar for the past eight years, has been blighted by a brain injury for the last 23 months.

The good news is that Marcin began his journey to Poland last Monday morning by road. His family have scrimped and saved to put together the funds - €10,000 - to pay for his operation.

However, they need to raise €40,000 for his aftercare before he can come back to live a normal life here again and for this they need your support. A number of fundraising initiatives are planned locally.

Marcin left Ireland on Monday by ambulance (it came from Poland for him), accompanied by his wife. They caught two ferries and travelled through the night, arriving in Poland on Tuesday evening to great relief and excitement.

He’s now regaining strength and hopes to have his operation in the coming days.

Said wife Katarzyna: “He now has the chance to live. We’re so thankful for all the prayers, good wishes and help we’ve received from our friends in Castlebar and across Mayo. It means so much to us. We’re just praying that everything goes okay in the operation and then we can start thinking about the rehabilitation.”

A fundraising committee has been formed in Castlebar to help defray some of the large rehabilitation costs and collection boxes for Marcin’s Wish have been placed in a number of business premises around Castlebar.

The first big event will take place on Sunday, November 27, at 1 p.m. at Lough Lannagh when a fun run/jog around the lake will take place with entertainment for all the family. An entry fee of €10 for adults will apply. This event is being organised by well-known outdoor adventurer Michael Chambers from Newport.

Another planned event will be an Ireland versus Poland soccer match at Castlebar Celtic on the evening of December 10, which should be fun, with maybe a social afterwards.

Marcin was struck by a brain aneurysm in December 2014 and was initially given no chance of survival but he defied that.

The man who passionately supports Lech Poznan was making a good life in Castlebar, working hard, for himself, Katarzyna and their daughter Oliwia. Since the aneurysm he has lain in bed in Beaumont, Mayo University Hospital and more recently the Sacred Heart Hospital in Castlebar, wanting to get well.

Katarzyna said they were told that the operation could be done at some stage here in Ireland, but there was no chance of him getting the intensive physio afterwards. That’s why they have been working to get him back to Poland.

Said Marcin’s sister Joanna: “The aftercare is expensive but we know it will give save Marcin’s life. He made great progress when he was in the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire but that programme came to an end and he has had very little physio since.”

If you want more details, contact (087) 9394255.