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More Than £17,000 Raised For Isle Of Wight Father Blinded By Snake Bite

Ian Jones and his dog Rocky

More than £17,000 has been raised for an Isle of Wight father after he was bitten by a deadly Cobra when he had a second bout of coronavirus in India.

A fundraiser has received £17,809 in donations, in a bid to bring dedicated charity worker Ian Jones back home to his family on the Island.

As previously reported by Isle of Wight Radio, a Go Fund Me page was set up in the hope of raising some money to help meet the tens of thousands of pounds needed for his care.

Ian stayed in India before travel restrictions were enforced, as a result of the pandemic, to support the most vulnerable.

He runs Sabirian, a charity-backed social enterprise importing fairly traded crafts from India.

Despite the fact Ian is now out of hospital -  he has been left totally blind after the snake venom, which his family says is “extremely frightening for him”.

Ian’s family has also issued an updated statement, which said:

“The charity, Ian and his family are hugely grateful for the incredible response to the fundraising appeal.  We had no idea it would generate such an amazing global response and we would like to thank each and every one of you for your support, we are so very grateful.

“While Ian is out of hospital he is not out of the woods yet - he has paralysis in his legs and is therefore confined to a wheelchair and he is also totally blind, both as a result of the Cobra venom, which is extremely frightening for him.  We take some comfort though from the fact that he is back amongst more familiar surroundings and with his beloved dog Rocky and able to enjoy some cuddles again.

“We are doing everything we can to try and bring him home so he can continue his recovery here with us and we will keep you posted on his progress.

“Thank you again for all your support and donations.”

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