Daniel Cain: the tragic story of the footballer of the lower divisions of Arsenal of England who became a quadriplegic

Soccer delivers some dramatic stories. Like that of Daniel Cain, former footballer of the lower divisions of Arsenal in England, that he had everything to succeed in one of the most important clubs in the world. However, his fate was twisted forever at the age of 20, with serious consequences: He became quadriplegic after a night out with his friends on June 9, 2020.

Cain, who was also an industrial engineering student, consumed a drink that caused a cardiovascular problem with some devastating secondary damage. This incident caused Daniel’s life to change drastically.. The young man, born in the British town of Hemel Hempstead, was the victim of having ingested a drink adulterated with a chemical substance. This component caused him to begin to lose consciousness and not respond to the stimuli received by the companions who surrounded him that night. Fortunately, the immediacy of the medical services to treat him prevented what could have been a real tragedy, although it took almost 25 minutes to revive him. For this reason, Cain’s serious diagnosis caused him to remain in a coma in the Intensive Care Unit for 25 days.

The friends of the former member of the lower divisions of the ‘Gunners’, at that party, detected that Cain had changed color and was not responding to resuscitation attempts. Quickly, an ambulance arrived at the scene of the incident to help him, since he had gone into cardiac arrest. Although he received medical help, his spinal cord and brain were left without oxygen for too long. This organic disorder resulted in the young man being those 25 days in a coma and your memory will be significantly damaged.

Tracy Cain, mother of the former soccer player, crudely recounted what she has experienced in recent years in an interview for the English newspaper The Independent. During the talk, she revealed details of the night she learned of the incident. A moment that she was a breaking point, since they told her that her son was practically in a “vegetative” state. “When I found out about his condition, I just went into automatic mom mode. I called his father who was at work and his sister came back from Essex. Around 3 or 4 in the morning they tried to get us ready so he wouldn’t wake up, but I said let’s keep trying,” he recounted. “When he woke up from the coma he couldn’t do anything., he couldn’t move, he was like a newborn. It was a miracle”. Thanks to maternal efforts, his son was able to recover cognitive functions, which has meant that part of his quality of life could improve in some aspects.

Tracy also recounted what her period at the clinic was like: “Because of Covid, they wouldn’t let me into the hospital to learn things like lifting and handling objects from the nurses, and with spinal cord injuries there are things like bowel control and bladder. And also the skin is very sensitive. It was a whole change in lifestyle, ”explained the victim’s mother in the note with The Independent. More than two years after that fateful episode, Cain needs 24-hour care: “He’s getting better all the time. His long-term memory, childhood things, he still remembers all of that,” they explain in their family environment. After a long period in which he was admitted to the hospital, Cain returned to his house with a wheelchair and receives round-the-clock care, completely dependent. Although he had made short strides in his condition, he was not in a vegetative state, as they had first assumed from the hospital.

At the same time, Cain began doing rehabilitation sessions from the beginning of this year with the Neurokinex organization in his city (Hemel Hempstead). However, each of the eight that he has to do a week costs 71 euros. To alleviate the costs, Daniel’s family has an account to raise funds for the rehabilitation of his son. The former Arsenal youth player undergoes treatment to get him back on his feet which in its entirety reaches a value of 2200 euros per month. The high expense that Cain’s care requires is covered thanks to the GoFundMe account. “He is incredibly elated and full of hope, while being evaluated and challenged with different teams. Let’s keep her spirit and hope alive by making sure she has the funds to allow her ongoing rehabilitation sessions, ”said her sister Natalie, who so far has raised 68,000 euros of the 113,000 stipulated as a goal. Likewise, Natalie spoke about how her brother’s recovery continues: “The rehabilitation sessions they will last a minimum of 3 to 4 years and then they will be extended to 5 years and more”.

THE NATION