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NEWS Acton man recovering from almost fatal head injury Nearly six months after a vicious assault left him near death, Welland Calamatta cel- ebrated his 30th birthday in the rehabilita- tion ward of Hamilton General Hospital on Oct. 30. His sister-in-law brought him a cupcake with a single candle as he was surrounded by family members, but older brother Ro- land said the recovery process has been slow and doctors are reluctant to provide a long-term prognosis. "He was so down on his birthday, the most depressed I've ever seen him," said 33-year-old Roland. "Turning the big three-o laying in a hos- pital bed, it was tough to stomach. So we've been doing the best for him and he did go home that weekend to Acton with my par- ents. It's slow but determined progress and honestly some days we feel like it's a step back, sometimes it's a step forward. We're just trying to keep his morale up at this point." The Acton resident's busy lifestyle came to a halt at a Streetsville house party on May 23. Police reports said no weapon was used in the assault, but Calamatta was injured in an altercation outside the home during which he was pushed and violently struck his head on the sidewalk. Roland said the attack was unprovoked and was a complete misunderstanding, "a case of him being in the wrong place at the wrong time." Welland suffered severe brain hemor- rhaging from the incident that required a "cranial drain" procedure at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto to relieve swelling. Wayne Junior Anglin, 33, of Erindale, was charged with aggravated assault for alleg- edly "endangering the life" of Calamatta and released on $10,000 bail. His next court ap- pearance is scheduled for Aug. 16, 2016. At the time of the incident, Calamatta had been doing odd jobs for Roland, a prop- erty manager, after taking a break from his own cleaning business. Welland is re-learning how to sit up in bed, stand and walk with the help of a gate- trainer in rehab, but is unable to speak and requires constant care. Having dropped down to 124 pounds from his usual 170 at the lowest point, the Erin District High School grad has gained back some of the weight and is able to rec- ognize his many visitors. "Mentally he's all there and that's why it's so frustrating," added Roland, who lives just a few minutes from the hospital in Hamil- ton. "He's virtually trapped in his body. (The doctors) don't know if he'll make a full re- covery or if he'll be like this the rest of his life. It's all up to him now." Family members have taken him on day trips with his dog Ziggy to outdoor settings or in the hospital courtyard to help relieve the boredom. They have also set up a fundraising page at gofundme.com that has so far raised more than $10,000 to cover Welland's treat- ment and expenses when he leaves hospital. Physiotherapy is not fully covered by OHIP, Roland said. "At this point, I feel like we've exhausted all avenues," he sighed. "We're just focused on being with Welland and trying to keep his spirits up. We can't ask our family and friends for any more because they've already done so much." By Eamonn Maher emaher@theifp.ca TRAVELING THE ROAD OF RECOVERY: Thirty-year-old Welland Calamatta of Acton is pictured with his best buddy Ziggy prior to suffering a brain injury in May that was nearly fatal and has left him bedridden and confined to a wheelchair at Hamilton General Hospital. Submitted photos A 76-year-old Acton woman was in critical condition after she was struck by a vehicle Monday morning on Main St. N. Halton Regional Police Service report at approximately 6:20 a.m. an 76-year-old Acton woman was walking across Main St. at School Lane when she was struck by a northbound blue four-door Volkswagen driven by a 27-year-old Acton resident. The woman was rushed to George- town Hospital before being transported via air-ambulance to a local trauma cen- tre. It wasn't known at The IFP's press time Wednesday whether the woman's condition had changed. The northbound lane on Main St. and School Lane were closed for the collision in- vestigation until 9:20 a.m. Police are asking any witnesses to the col- lision to contact the Halton Regional Police Collision Reconstruction Unit at 905-825-4747 extension 5420, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800 222-TIPS (8477), through the web at www.hal- toncrimestoppers.com or by texting "Tip201" with your message to 274637 (crimes). Pedestrian struck by vehicle in Acton