It will be a long road to recovery for a Regina cab driver who was brutally attacked on the job nearly two years ago.

Iqbal Singh Sharma had only been living in Saskatchewan for a few months when he was assaulted driving his cab in November of 2016.

It was supposed to be a temporary position while Sharma waited for Canadian accreditation to continue his career as a mechanical engineer. But three months into his life in Regina, the attack changed his life permanently.

“I was hit in the head, the brain, on my ear, on my chest,” Sharma told CTV News on Monday.

Sharma said he had three customers in his cab and heard noise coming from his passengers. He stopped the cab and was followed by one of the people inside. Sharma was stabbed three times — and spent weeks in a medically induced coma.

When Sharma woke up, the right side of his body was paralyzed and he couldn’t speak. Some of his speech has recovered, but Sharma still needs a cane to walk and struggles to use his right arm and leg.

Sharma told CTV News that he had suicidal thoughts when he first came out of the coma. But, the father of two has leaned on his family for support.

“That’s why I’m here, because of them,” he said. “They gave me confidence that I can work for them.”

Sharma’s family is relying solely on his wife’s income, and he is pleading with the provincial government to come forward with more help.

“I want to work,” he said. “If the government helped me get a job, that would be perfect. I don’t want compensation. I want to work.”

In a statement to CTV News, the Workers Compensation Board said cab drivers can get coverage, but they must sign up either through their employer or opt in through optional personal coverage.

“Since this tragic incident, the WCB initiated a promotional campaign to educate taxi drivers in the province about the availability of workers’ compensation coverage,” the statement said. “The WCB offers personal optional coverage to taxi drivers who are not already covered by their employer, however they need to register for this coverage.”

WCB added that registered drivers could receive wage loss benefits, rehabilitation support and medical expenses if they are injured at work.

Leroy Redwood was sentenced to seven years in prison for the attack on Friday.

Sharma said he hasn’t followed the case. Instead, he wants to forgive and forget, focusing on his own healing.

With files from CTV Regina's Joey Slattery