It will be his first time back to Phuket, aside from four short days in late September to celebrate his 22nd birthday, since he left in July for the capital.
Police say Daniel, originally from Australia but resident in Phuket, was involved in a motorbike accident earlier in June. However, Daniel, his family and friends say the mysterious circumstances point more to assault than a bike crash.
Daniel was left with a fractured skull, haemorrhaging and compression on the brain, air bubbles in the brain, a shattered eye socket, jaw broken in three places, four lost teeth, a fractured vertebra, nerve damage to his neck and shoulder, a fracture in the skull between his nose and upper lip and 45 stitches in his head, after he was found in the Saiyuan Rd area in the early hours of June 8.
Daniel’s mother Debbie Ketley said he has undergone three surgeries on his jaw, eye and arm while in Bangkok International Hospital in the capital, including a nerve transfer operation that will hopefully help him regain movement in his right arm.
Mrs Ketley said there was a chance full movement in his hand and arm would be regained in time.
“The doctor said he did everything he could possibly do, because the nerve to the shoulder was so badly damaged. Daniel has to come back on January 6 to see, but at the moment it is too soon to know. We might have to wait for between three months to two years.”
Daniel also requires another two eye operations in around six to eight months time.
Daniel had full medical insurance when the incident happened, but it was quickly used up, meaning the Ketley family were faced with mounting medical bills and established the Daniel Ketley Fund so people could donate to his treatment.
Much of the financial stress was eased when a good family friend of the Ketleys (who wishes to remain anonymous) got in touch to say he wanted to fund the care.
The total hospital bills and other expenses has been around B1.3 million, with B325,000 raised from the fund, B250,000 from the family’s savings, some from additional insurance payouts, and the rest funded by the anonymous donor.
“If that had not happened Daniel would not have received the attention he got, it would have been impossible. He’s been here nearly four months so imagine the expense for that.
“We are absolutely extremely blessed and grateful. He’s my angel. He was just a godsend at the right time.”
Despite his injuries, Daniel still wants to eventually return to Muay Thai fighting, Mrs Ketley said.
“He’s very optimistic about that, but he’s accepted it will take time. That is his incentive to keep moving forward and doing the physio. He’s very excited about coming back to Phuket.”