Eastside Costa Mesa resident takes in Irishman recovering after car accident

Philip Leavy didn’t expect to stay in Costa Mesa for so long.

His visit from Ireland was supposed to be a short, vocational vacation — a chance to visit friends, soak up some of Southern California’s famous sunshine and gain additional professional experience after completing his master’s degree in supply chain management.

Then, as he put it in a recent interview, “tragedy struck.”

It was Feb. 1, and he was walking to his friend’s apartment in the Enclave complex after purchasing a comb. A car driven by an elderly driver struck him as he legally crossed Sunflower Avenue.

The 30-year-old was rushed to Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana, where he underwent emergency surgery that included removing part of his skull to relieve pressure, fluid and swelling on his brain.

“If I got to them, say, 15 minutes later, I would be probably brown bread,” he said.

That’s “dead,” for those unfamiliar with Irish rhyming slang.

He was in a coma for about two weeks before waking up, disoriented. At first, he couldn’t believe he was still in California — not home in Maynooth, Ireland, and didn’t understand the gravity of his injuries.

“I had no idea they took my bone flap out,” he said, referring to the section of his skull. “It was a few hours later when I was in the bathroom [at the hospital] and I looked in the mirror and I was like, ‘What? Where’s my head gone?’”

He was far from home and facing a lengthy recovery. That’s where Mary Spadoni comes in.

The well-known community activist and Leavy met about four years ago when he was visiting friends who lived near her in the Eastside.

When he got out of the hospital, Spadoni welcomed him into her home. Her house is quiet, single-story — so no stairs to worry about — and Spadoni is retired, so she’s free to help him get to and from his appointments.

“America broke him,” she said in a recent interview. “We want to send him home in one piece.”

Leavy is scheduled to undergo another surgery to re-attach the removed portion of his skull next week. After that, it’ll likely be about a month before he’s cleared to fly home.

In the meantime, he’ll spend his days much as he has for the past two months he’s been staying with Spadoni — resting, recuperating and walking her dog, a 7-year-old border terrier named Zenny.

“Zenny can’t do without him,” Spadoni said with a smile. “I’ll have to check his luggage to make sure he doesn’t take her back to Ireland.”

Returning to the Emerald Isle is just one step on the road to recovery. Doctors say he probably won’t be able to drive or work for another year.

To that end, Spadoni has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to assist him. More than $16,000 has poured in since the fundraiser went live about two weeks ago.

Leavy said the support has been overwhelming.

“Some days I get low, homesick, obviously, but just seeing that — it gives me a major boost,” he said. “It’s hard to believe people would even go out of their way to try and help me.”

While some days are more difficult than others, Leavy said he’s trying hard to stay positive and keep improving.

“We’re getting by hour by hour,” he said, “never mind day by day.”

To view the GoFundMe campaign for Leavy, visit gofundme.com/philip-leavy.

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