The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

The local soccer community came out in droves to lend its support to one of its own on his road to recovery.

Bahamian national team player and former Hofstra University standout Demont Mitchell is recovering ahead of schedule from the effects of a car accident just over two months ago.

In an effort to defray a steep medical bill expected to exceed $200,000, Youth Empowerment through Soccer International hosted “Monty’s Six-A-Side” - a fundraising event in aid of Mitchell’s medical expenses.

The day-long tournament, which was held at St Paul’s soccer field on Saturday, raised approximately $8,000. All proceeds will be donated toward Mitchell’s medical fund.

“As football is his passion, what better way to help than put on a football tourney. It was great that we were able to come together for a worthy cause like this,” YESI founder Happy Hall said. “For a first time event, we couldn’t have asked for a better overall time. Weather, player participation, the crowd was great. For a tournament like this where the level of play was so high with some of the country’s top players involved, we see where we need to have a venue for them to play quarterly. It’s important for younger players to see the older players perform and this was probably the best gathering of senior soccer talent.”

On October 7 last year, Mitchell was in a serious car accident in the St Alban’s Drive area where he sustained a brain injury. 

Doctors performed a craniotomy and he remained in a semi coma at The Princess Margaret Hospital for approximately three weeks with limited use of his right limbs.

His neurosurgeon in the Bahamas, Dr Magnus in conjunction with Dr Kester Nedd, head neurosurgeon of Jackson Memorial’s Ryder Trauma Center in Miami, Florida, recommended that he be transferred to a brain trauma facility in the United States.

The accident occurred at a time when Mitchell did not have medical insurance having recently graduated from university and no longer listed as a dependent.

He had also just recently started a job at Baker Tilly Gomez in September, and did not reach the required 90-day waiting which would have allowed him to join their plan.

Mitchell’s recovery process has been ahead of schedule according to www.gofundme.com/demontmitchell – a public domain set up by Mitchell’s family and created to help raise money online and keep well wishers updated on his progress.

“I must once again reiterate my thanks to all of you on behalf of Demont, Paige and I. We appreciate the time and talent devoted to making the event a success. Words are insufficient to express our gratitude,” said his father Matthew Mitchell.

“Demont continues to move towards full recovery, slowly but surely. He is now officially an out patient, having been discharged from the hospital on Friday, November 30, and out-patient therapy December 3. He’s walking at 60 per cent on his own and can do most else to function normally. He’s still ahead of schedule. In this stage of recovery, as he becomes more aware, his independent streak is surfacing and he frequently insists that he do much on his own.” 

Mitchell stated that the long road to recovery has been challenging, but there have also been signs of optimism.

“By far the biggest challenge continues to be his short term memory but there are indications that it is starting to emerge. This is likely the component that will take most time to return to normal,” he said. “Our prayers are being answered.”

Demont Mitchell was a member of the Bahamas national team for a number of years and has also been hosted to trials with Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the English football league. 

He was a member of the Bears FC locally before joining the Hofstra Pride in 2006 and made his debut for the senior national team in a March 2008 World Cup qualification match against the British Virgin Islands. He had earned four caps by November 2008, all of them in World Cup qualification games.

Donations can be made online at http://www.gofundme.com/demontmitchell and an account has been setup at RBC under the name “The Demont Mitchell Fund.”

As of yesterday, the website had raised $6,190.

For further details and inquiries, his mother Paige Mitchell can be reached at psevere61@yahoo.com and his father Matthew at avecbundy@hotmail.com.

Sponsors for the event included SunTee, Original Patties, Wildflowers and the Lyford Cay Dragons.

SEE PHOTOS ON

PAGES A10 & A11