A year after being stabbed 18 times and thrown 100 feet down Koko Crater, Nicholas Iwamoto is struggling to recover from painful surgery and hoping the vertebrae in his neck will fuse.

“;Even if the surgery is successful, I'm going to need surgery on my neck the rest of my life,”; Iwamoto said, describing his disability as chronic.

His alleged attacker, Benjamin Davis, 20, charged with two counts of attempted murder, is scheduled to go on trial on Feb. 19.

Davis, held at Oahu Correctional Center, also allegedly attacked Guy Tanaka of California, who was stabbed once in the back.

The attacks appear to have been random acts upon hikers on the popular trail, and Davis' family and friends say he had been acting strangely after taking crystal methamphetamine.

Iwamoto, 23, who has lived in Hawaii Kai with this mother, Kitty, who has been caring for him since the brutal attack, said the injuries have drastically changed his life.

At the time, he was a part-time student at Kapiolani Community College and had applied to become a member of the Hawaii Army National Guard, he said.

On Super Bowl Sunday after work, he went hiking at the crater to improve his physical stamina before going to boot camp.

“;Little did I know what was going to happen,”; he said.

Iwamoto said he has been instructed not to talk about the details of the attack before the trial.

He agreed to an interview to clarify the severity of his injuries.

He said the stab wounds caused lacerations to his liver, diaphragm, temple artery and jugular vein; punctured his left lung; and severed tendons in his right hand.

He also broke his neck and right ankle, fractured his skull, suffered a concussion, lost five pints of blood and had both lungs collapse.

He said when he went into the emergency room, his airway collapsed, and he required a tracheotomy and was on a ventilator for two weeks.

He has been through seven surgeries, including one to fuse the bones in his neck.

He is able to walk but cannot carry anything more than five to 10 pounds, and fear lurks that a sudden jolt could paralyze him.

He was in a vehicle that was rear-ended a week ago, pushing back his recovery 11 months and putting him back on pain medicine, the family said.

Iwamoto, who worked part time doing cleaning and auto detailing before the attack, said he is thinking of becoming a teacher.

“;I really want to go back to school,”; he said.

For now he has taken up knitting, a craft he learned about four months ago at Yarn and Friends on King Street, and he has been making beanies, scarves and potholders and selling them to help to defray medical expenses.

His mother, who stopped working as an educator to help in her son's recuperation, said their family is focused on Nicholas' recovery rather than the trial.

She said the family is grateful for the public's support, including those who have sponsored fundraisers on his behalf.

“;It's been just a blessing,”; she said.