An American tourist who was stabbed in broad daylight while shopping in Hamilton with his family is be brought back to the Island this summer following a $4,000 fundraising campaign.

Scott Jable, his wife Chris and their one-year-old son Cole will return in May or June after well wishers in Bermuda offered cash, accommodation, meals, excursions and transport as an apology for the trauma the family suffered on their last visit.

Mr. Jable was stabbed in the back as he pushed his small child along Front Street at the end of October last year.

For a few moments, the Jable family thought he would die, but he was airlifted out of Bermuda and transferred to a hospital in his home city of Chicago, where he was detained for some days.

Doctors told Mr. Jable the knife had entered his back dangerously close to his spine, and said he could so easily have been paralysed from the attack.

But, despite suffering an infection earlier this year which is still being monitored, Mr. Jable is hoping he will be fully recovered so he can make the return trip this summer.

He said last night: "What has happened has been an amazing thing. I don't know any other way to say it other than we have been completely blown away by the generosity everyone has shown.

"To be quite honest, this is a very uplifting turn of events in the whole situation. There is still some concern that we have, especially my wife. It's a difficult thing to come back to the place where this happened and re-live what happened that day.

"But this will obviously make it much easier - knowing that people care so much. We are very grateful. There are a lot of people we would like to see and thank when we come over."

Bermuda resident Clayton Price decided to launch the fundraising campaign after reading of Mr. Jable's plight last year. He got together with a friend of the Jable family on the Island, Kit Mueller, and together they kick started the appeal.

Working with Wayne Dill from Bank of Bermuda, and The Spirit of Bermuda Charitable Trust, they have received numerous donations and offers from across the Island.

Mr. Price said the donations had exceeded his expectations and he was very grateful to everyone who gave.

He said: "My intention was to be able to bring them back to the Island, have somewhere to stay, provide them with transport and some petty cash and we have been able to do that.

"Hopefully, it will help to turn a very negative event into a very positive event. That's what it's all about.

"We want them to have good memories of Bermuda."