A rugby player has been put on life support and is currently communicating by winking after a scrum collapsed on him during a match in France.
Talented James Lasis, 25, is unable to move after undergoing emergency neck surgery at Nice Hospital.
The ex-Brighton College student, from Horsted Keynes, was playing for French club Stade Niçois when the scrum caved in on April 25.
He is said to remain in a “worrying condition" but has regained consciousness.
James' mum Judy Lasis told the BBC she had been watching the match on a Youtube livestream, leaving her powerless to help when she saw her son get hurt.
She has since been reunited with him and is supporting him through his hospital treatment, reports Sussex Live.
Ms Lasis said: "He can't speak obviously because he's got tubes inside him, but he's fully conscious.
"Communication at the moment is via winking and he has no movement at the moment."
“I can't really tell you how difficult it was.
"We couldn't communicate with anyone, that was the worst thing.
"I was shouting, screaming at the screen but it was just so difficult."
Stade Niçois, who described James as "extraordinary," has launched a fundraiser and is collecting support messages to create a montage for the player.
The rugby club wrote: “This Sunday, during the match between Stade Niçois and Rugby Club Narbonnais, James Lasis was seriously injured in a scrum.
“He underwent emergency cervical surgery and is currently being treated at the Nice University Hospital and is still in a worrying condition.
“Our club, from the school of Rugby to his friends in the first team, has only one priority: to support James throughout this ordeal and to support his family who are obviously the only ones authorized to communicate on the evolution of James’ health.
“Players, sportsmen and administrative staff, managers, volunteers, Rugby lovers in France, England and everywhere think of James and give him their full support.
“He is going to need each of us, of you, our smiles, our prayers, our thoughts.
“James is an extraordinary lad and rugby player and all your expressions of sympathy do and will undoubtedly do him good.
“A fundraising page has been created in order to support and help his family face this ordeal.
“James, the whole club, all your friends from Nice, France, England and many others think of you very much.
“A big thank you from the bottom of our hearts for supporting James.”
The email address set up by the rugby club to collect messages of support for James is soutenirjames@gmail.com.
A UK-based fundraiser has been set up to support James’ family and to help fund any medical costs.
The page was created one day ago and has already raised over £8,000 of the £10,000 target.
Any surplus funds will be donated to the Matt Hampson foundation, a charity for people with disabilities sustained through sport.
