A former Arsenal academy player became tetraplegic after his drink was “spiked” on a night out. Daniel Cain, a robust and healthy footballer and licenced electrician, was hit by a “life-changing travesty” after a night out with friends when a heart attack deprived his brain of oxygen.
On the night of June 9, 2020, Daniel’s pals discovered he was a “funny colour” and wasn’t waking up and attempted CPR on him while an ambulance was called. When the ambulance arrived, they worked for 24 minutes to restart his heart, but his brain and spinal cord had been starved of oxygen, resulting in catastrophic injuries.
Ex-Arsenal academy graduate’s mother sheds light on horrible incident
Doctors told the family that even if Daniel did wake up, he would be in a vegetative state, but after 25 days in a coma, he beat the odds and “woke up,” slowly regaining cognitive function in what his mother characterised as a “miracle”. The ex-Arsenal man’s mother Tracey Cain told The Independent:
“When I found out I just went into automatic mum mode. I phoned his father who was at work and his sister came back from Essex. At around 3-4am in the morning they tried to prepare us that he was not going to wake up but I said to keep trying.
“I wasn’t going to accept he wasn’t going to come around. When he woke up he couldn’t do anything, he couldn’t move – he was like a newborn but nurses said he was following them with his eyes, so they said there was ‘someone in there.”
His injuries had considerably harmed his short-term memory, but his long-term memory was still intact, according to his mother. He was able to return home after two and a half years of “bouncing around” different hospitals and care homes, but he now uses a wheelchair and requires round-the-clock care. She continued:
“Again because I’m his mum, I’m just going to take it on board and do what I can, but it was a real strain. Because of Covid I wasn’t really allowed into the hospital to learn from the nurses about different things like lifting and handling and with spinal cord injuries, there are things like bowel and bladder management and the skin is also very sensitive. It was just a complete lifestyle change.”
After more than a year of waiting, Daniel’s family was relocated to a suitable home, but they had to downsize from a three-bed to a two-bed home, forcing his sister Natalie to leave. Daniel is now able to walk and stand again thanks to Neurokinex, an institution that offers him with intense rehabilitation therapy. It is only partially financed by the NHS and costs more than £60 per hour, for a total monthly cost of £1,008 to £2,016.
Daniel’s family has started a GoFundMe campaign to assist pay for the treatment, which has given him new hope. Tracey added:
“It’s been very hard for him, on different neurological wards he’s been around stroke victims who are mainly over 50 so there were not many people his age he could relate to. He did have counselling where they said he does have PTSD and he has now been diagnosed with low mood, depression and anxiety.
“He’ll jump at the slightest thing, he needs a lot of reassurance. He needs to know what’s happening now and what’s happening next. He responds really well to the physio – that’s like his happy place when he’s exercising. It’s more frustrating when he isn’t able to do it.”
Daniel is keen to attend regular rehabilitation sessions in order to resume his life and establish a career. The sessions are scheduled to continue at least two to three years and can be extended for an additional fee of £12,096 to £24,192 per year. Natalie, the Arsenal academy graduate’s sister, says that her brother is “not giving up” and that she wants to “keep his spirit and hope alive” by ensuring that the rehabilitation treatment is continued.