Farrell suffered multiple facial fractures and a brain bleed, said his mother, Mona Saltalamacchia, 55.
“He didn’t even get a chance to put his hands up or protect his face,” she said. “It’s just so disturbing.”
Farrell was transported to Beth Israel hospital, where Saltalamacchia hurried to be by his side. Doctors swarmed into the room, calling out commands when the swelling in Farrell’s brain grew severe, his mother recalled. They rushed him into emergency surgery and removed a portion of his skull to relieve the pressure on his brain, she said.
“I thought I was going to movie my son die in front of me,” she said Friday. “It was like a TV show of people running in, doors opening. ‘Do this, do that. movie his blood pressure.’ … I was just standing there, shaking, in shock.”
Her son spent the next several days on a breathing tube in a medically induced coma. After more than a week at the hospital, he was transferred to Spaulding Rehabilitation hospital to continue his recovery, Saltalamacchia said.
“The whole thing was an absolute nightmare,” she said.
Farrell remembers nothing of the attack two weeks ago that left him with a traumatic brain injury, Saltalamacchia said.
Dark purple bruises cover his eyes, and he must wear a helmet at all times. He is working on regaining his balance and memory, but he is walking and talking, Saltalamacchia said. His spirits seem to be lifting.
She feels encouraged by the strides Farrell is making but said he faces a long road ahead.
“He could have severe headaches for the rest of his life or sensitivity to light. They just don’t know,” she said.
Before that night, Farrell — her middle child of three — was working as a paraeducator at Pollard Middle School in Needham, where he also coached basketball. He played the sport in a recreational league in his free time, and he was constantly with his many friends. It will be some time before he can do those things again, Saltalamacchia said.
“He’s a great kid, a great son, and a great sibling,” she said.
In the coming weeks and months, Farrell will be undergoing several types of therapy — physical, occupational, and speech — and more surgery on his brain when the swelling completely subsides, she said.
“He knows that he’s there to work because he really wants to come home,” she added.
A GoFundMe to help pay for his medical expenses had raised more than $33,000 as of Friday afternoon.
“He’s so lucky that Boston is one of the greatest places for these type of injuries,” Saltalamacchia said.
Saltalamacchia said she has been unable to get the image of Farrell, alone and unresponsive in the street as people walked by, out of her mind. She wonders if the suspect has any remorse.
“You just went about your world. You just went about your day,” she said. “How did you do that?”
The family is desperate to find the person responsible, she said.
“I just can’t believe that we haven’t found him yet,” Saltalamacchia said. “I hope he turns himself in.”
Police are urging anyone with information to contact District D-4 detectives at 617-343-5619.
Shannon Larson can be reached at shannon.larson@globe.com. Follow her @shannonlarson98.
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