A YOUNG father from York who was left in a coma in Cambodia appears to have regained consciousness - but remains in a seriously ill condition.

Joe Quarcoo-Morrissey, 24, from the Fulford Road area, has been living with his partner Emilie in Cambodia, where they run a hostel, and they have a baby Saul.

The former York Steiner School and All Saints School pupil suffered head injuries in a scooter crash and has been in intensive care since early February.

A £50,000 appeal to fund his care has already reached £13,000 in less than two days.

His father Kevin Morrissey today said that Joe appears to have regained consciousness but that the next stage would be critical to his recovery.

“It’s not as if he has woken up from being asleep, he is still in a dangerous and transitional phase.”

He said about the accident: “The shock of hearing about it was like nothing I’ve ever felt.

“It’s so emotional and physical – I could barely speak about anything for a week, although I was thinking about it 100 per cent of the time, when I was awake and when I was asleep.

“Joe’s Mum happened to be out there visiting at the time, helping Joe and Emilie after Saul was born.

“It was lucky in a way because she could go to the hospital to be with him. But obviously it was very difficult to see him in a coma.

“You forget what it’s like to worry about your children when they get older.

“We wanted him to be happy and being in Cambodia with Emilie building their dreams did exactly that.”

Mr Morrissey said Joe was given a 30 per cent chance of survival with a very low coma score of just three out of 15 but had since made significant progress. “We are just focusing on him making a complete recovery, because that’s all we can imagine,” he said.

“He has so much to live for.”

Joe’s friends have rallied around to offer him support.

Without sufficient insurance cover to met the costs, the medical bills - running at £3,000 a week - are rising fast, said a York friend, Dan Lucas.

“Joe is an absolutely great guy,” he said.

“He’s really happy-go-lucky, super-kind and thoughtful. He is as handsome as hell and a great footballer and athlete.

“He is a great friend and a loving father. He brought his baby to the UK at Christmas and it was amazing to see how proud he is of his little boy.”

Now Dan and his friends have launched an appeal to raise £50,000 to help meet the medical costs and reduce the stress on Joe’s family. 

The appeal has already raised £13,000 in about 36 hours.  

Mr Morrissey said they were overwhelmed by the support shown by those who know Joe.

“It has been extraordinary to see how Joe’s friends have taken this on so positively.

“As soon as they heard about what happened they wanted to know how they could help.

“We really want to thank them so much for everything they’re doing to help Joe.

“It’s good to know he’s so well loved and he would be saying ‘thanks, mate’ to each one of them.”

Among the comments from supporters online, friends have written: “Joe’s such a great lad.

“Hoping he makes a full recovery and soon.”

Another said: “Sending love mate.

“We’re all rooting for you to come through this.

“You’ve always been strong and I know you will be here.

“Thinking of you and your beautiful family.”

To donate, go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/ uc3gj-dough-for-joe.