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A beloved grandad left in a coma after heart surgery will fight to the end, says his family.
Ramsgate chef Enzo Motolo’s life was rocked and will have to learn how to walk and talk again following the emergency surgery after suffering from chest pains last month.
He was taken to hospital in London but his treatment sparked a traumatic downfall for the 54-year-old, leaving him on life support fighting for his life while in a coma.
But despite the significant obstacles Enzo will need to overcome, his family have spoken of their belief in seeing the family man make a miraculous recovery.
His eldest daughter Ilaria told KentOnline: “It’s been very hard, very heartbreaking, there is a lot going on but the fact that he's fighting, and he's still here, gives me and my family so much hope.
“I personally really do think that he's going to pull through it but obviously, it's going to take a lot of time and a lot of patience.
“Even for him mentally, it's going to be a great challenge but the fact that he's making this small progress in the right direction, to me means everything.
“It means that he's fighting, he's still here and that gives me so much hope that he will come back home with us at some point, even if it's not in the immediate future.”
Having visited A&E at QEQM in Margate on November 16, the chef – best known for working at Sardinia in Broadstairs – was taken to St Thomas’ Hospital in London for an operation after damage to his vena aorta was found.
Nine days after his initial surgery, he was placed on a machine for life support to oxygenate his blood while doctors performed a tracheostomy and removed a significant part of his bowel.
He also developed a skin infection and bed sores and his lungs were a particular source of concern.
It will leave him facing an uphill battle to walk, talk and eat on his own again while also having to deal with a stoma bag.
It has also understandably left his wife, three children and many family friends agonising over what the future holds.
Ilaria, the parent of Enzo’s only grandchild, said: “All the staff we've been dealing with have been very empathetic, they've been really good.
“At least we have the assurance dad is well looked after but you always have those thoughts at the back of your mind that anything can go wrong at any time.
“Just because he's making small, small steps forward doesn't mean that it's over and it's all going to be uphill from here.
“As much as we try to keep positive, we are still very, very worried that anything can happen.”
While there are hopes of seeing him moved back to Margate, it will certainly not be before Christmas and is likely to take months for Enzo to be in a stable condition – if at all.
It has left the family struggling for cash weeks before the festive season, with a family friend starting a GoFundMe page for Enzo and his family.
In particular, it is hoped wife of 29 years Rosa can benefit with the doting matriarch left having to fork out for accommodation nearby or travel every day from Thanet to London.
There are hopes of raising £6,500 with almost £5,000 in the pot so far, leaving the family incredibly thankful and overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers.