'Hi, Mom': Canadian man out of coma after assault at Dominican Republic resort bar

An Edmonton man who was attacked in a resort bar in the Dominican Republic is out of a coma in hospital.

Cindy Rowan says she's relieved her son, Chase Delorme-Rowan, is also talking for the first time since Jan. 14, when he was slammed to the ground during a family vacation celebrating his 18th birthday.

She says doctors are still trying to figure out when they can replace a piece of his skull that was removed to allow his swollen brain room to recover — then tossed away.

"He's communicating really well and he's not in pain. He's happy, and he makes jokes a lot," said Rowan.

"Doctors are trying to train his brain, because part of it is still dead."

Delorme-Rowan was at the resort bar in Punta Cana with family when they say he was lifted by the collar of his shirt and slammed onto a tile floor.

His skull was cracked from top to bottom, and a blood clot the size of a grapefruit dislodged his brain, said his mother.

A Canadian man who was also a guest at the resort was charged with assault causing bodily harm and remains in custody on the Caribbean island.

Delorme-Rowan was flown back to Edmonton and has been receiving treatment at the University of Alberta hospital.

He woke up last week and mumbled, "'Hi, Mom,'" said his mother.

It was difficult telling him about what happened, she said.

"He cried, and I told him, 'That's the past, look forward.'"

He has received hundreds of messages from friends and loved ones on social media, she added. He also continues to undergo physiotherapy.

"I'm happy to be in Canada, I tell you. Definitely happy to be home. Happy he's in a good hospital. His doctors are doing amazing," Rowan said.

"A lot of stress is off my shoulders."