Martina Jaureguy Photoreporter Pablo Grillo successfully underwent his third surgery on Wednesday, a month after a military police agent shot him in the head with a tear gas canister during a march for retirees.
Although he remains in intensive care in the Ramos Mejía Hospital in Buenos Aires, Pablo’s health has been slowly but steadily improving since March 12, when he suffered severe head trauma with several skull fractures and loss of brain mass that left him in a critical condition. He was working as a freelance photographer covering the pensioners’ Wednesdays protest when he was hit.
“Yesterday was terrible, the surgery took very long, but it all went well,” said Pablo’s father, Fabián Grillo, in an interview with Futurock radio on Thursday morning. He described the past month as “overwhelming.”
The surgery had been scheduled on Tuesday after recurring leaks of cerebrospinal fluid, a liquid that protects the brain tissue from injury and is also present in the spinal cord. On Wednesday afternoon Pablo’s family announced on social media that the operation went well and that doctors were able to seal the place where the fluid was coming from. “Lumbar punctures will be done to release pressure,” they added.
Fabián Grillo said his son remains in ICU due to the infection risk caused by the leak, but said Pablo “writes, speaks, listens to music and reads.” Pablo has been awake and conscious since March 20, a week after the attack. He could be moved to a rehabilitation unit “in a few weeks” if he successfully recovers from Wednesday’s surgery.
“Our generation said ‘Never Again’ and we thought it was over, but the beasts are obviously back. We have to say Never Again to institutional violence,” said Fabián.
Hours after Pablo was out of surgery, retirees carried out their regular Wednesday protest. Human rights NGO CELS and the Human Rights League, who are part of the plaintiff representing Pablo’s family, brought a cardboard cutout of Pablo to Wednesday’s protest and set it up in front of congress. Protesters were once again subject to a heavy police presence and several people were injured. Tear gas was once again fired.
His relatives have been sharing updates about his health improvements on social media under the handle Justicia x Pablo Grillo (Justice for Pablo Grillo). On Saturday, they organized a music festival in his hometown Remedios de Escalada to support and raise money for him.