FORMER swimmer Simon Cowley will have five titanium plates in his face for the rest of his life after suffering horrific injuries when he was king hit in a Sydney bar last week.Cowley, 27, was discharged from hospital on Monday, three days after a complex series of operations to repair his face.
He is in considerable pain and will have to be fed through a straw for at least the next few weeks.
"He`s a bit of a mess at the moment," said Peter Cowley, who is helping care for his son in the family home in Sydney.
"He`s had five plates inserted - two each side of his jaw and another one up near the eye socket."
Cowley has been told the plates will be there for the rest of his life.
He suffered fractures to his jaw, eye socket, hard palate, cheekbone and nose. He also had bones broken above the bridge of his nose.
"With his nose they had to straighten it all up and he`s got a splint on that," Mr Cowley said.
"But he`s in good spirits, which is good.
"He realises it`s going to be a long process to recovery and we`re just keeping our fingers crossed that everything has gone well and there`s no problems," he said.
"The surgeons are very happy with the result. They`ve been able to repair all the damage and they`re reasonably confident."
Cowley suffered the injuries at a celebration following the naming of a 42-member Australian swim team for the Beijing Olympics.
Nick D`Arcy, who won his place in the team after breaking the Commonwealth 200m butterfly record, is facing charges of grievous bodily harm and assault.
Cowley`s friend and former manager Rob Woodhouse said Simon had not heard from D`Arcy since the incident.
"He`s had no contact," Woodhouse said.
"He`s got horrific injuries and I think the last thing he`s been thinking about is what happens to Nick or whether Nick`s going to apologise or whatever."
Woodhouse revealed that Cowley had won a work promotion the day before the incident and is now looking forward to returning to his job in financial planning when he is well enough.
"He`s a very positive kid, Simon. He`s got a very positive outlook on life and I think that will stand him in good stead through all this," Woodhouse said.
Meanwhile Peter and Elaine Cowley are preparing all their son`s food with a blender.
"It`s quite uncomfortable for him," Mr Cowley said.
"He`s someone who likes his food, too, so I think that`s not helping either."
Cowley is scheduled to see his surgeon next Friday for further assessment.
AAP
