Thanks to Mike Informer for sending us this article:

Father Of Crash Victim Remains Hopeful

By CHRIS ECHEGARAY The Tampa Tribune

Published: Sept 10, 2007

Doctors on Saturday took his 22-year-old son off the drugs that have kept him in a coma while his body heals, the elder Graziano said Sunday evening.

The next couple of days will determine whether the young Marine can recover from his injuries.

John Graziano, an Iraq war veteran, has been in critical condition since Aug. 26. He was the passenger in a yellow Toyota Supra wrecked by Nick Bollea, the 17-year-old son of wrestler Hulk Hogan.

While driving at a high rate of speed, Bollea wrapped his sports car around a palm tree on Court Street in Clearwater. Authorities continue to investigate the single-car wreck, which Bollea escaped without serious injury.

With a bodyguard at his side, Graziano's father held a brief news conference Sunday evening about a block from Bayfront Medical Center, where his son is being treated.

"It's heartbreaking," said Edward Graziano, 52. "I see him as my baby boy but also as a tough Marine."

John Graziano has undergone several procedures because his frontal lobes were pushed in, and he is on dialysis, his father said.

"They say there is still hope, but he is still very critical," Edward Graziano said. "There are a lot of people praying for him. He is young, and he is physically fit. He has that going for him."

The Hogans brought in another neurologist to offer a second opinion, Graziano said. The neurologist, from Tampa General Hospital, concurred with Bayfront doctors about treatment, he said.

"The Hogans are very supportive," Graziano said.

Graziano also said the doctors, hospital staff and the community have been there for his family. The outpouring of support has been great, with people bringing food and doing anything they can to help, he said.

"There is help around the clock," he said.

Graziano declined to talk about his Aug. 31 arrest stemming from a family argument at the hospital.