Ex-Arsenal academy star needs 24-hour care after having drink 'spiked'

Former Arsenal academy star Daniel Cain has been left a tetraplegic and requiring 24-hour care after his drink was "spiked".

A GoFundMe has been set up for the 23-year-old, who is currently wheelchair-bound nearly three years on from a harrowing night on June 9, 2020, when he suffered a cardiac arrest. His friends had noticed him turning a "funny colour" at a gathering.

They attempted to perform CPR while waiting for an ambulance, with paramedics working for 24 minutes before getting his heart beating again. During that time his brain and spinal cord were starved of oxygen.

Daniel, who played in the development centres of Arsenal and Barnet as youngster, was subsequently in a coma for 25 days.

His mum, Tracey, 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 3-4 in the morning they tried to prepare us that he wasn't going to wake up but I said to keep trying. I wasn't going to accept he wasn't going to come around."

Doctors told the family that even if he did wake up, he'd be in a vegetative state. However, Daniel did come round and his cognitive function began to gradually return.

Two-and-a-half-years and five different hospitals later, the qualified electrical service engineer returned home in December. He's been given the chance to stand and walk again through an organisation called Neurokinex.

But only the first six sessions were funded by the NHS, with each now costing £63 per hour. The family estimate it could cost up to roughly £24,000 a year to fund and will take a minimum of two to three years.

As a result, Daniel's sister Natalie has set up the GoFundMe with an initial target of £20k. Tracey explained the physio is his "happy place".

She added: “He responds really well - that's like his happy place when he's exercising. It's more frustrating when he isn't able to do it.”

It's hoped Daniel will one day be able to live his own life again and return to his career as an electrician.

Should you wish to donate or share the link, you can find the GoFundMe for Daniel by clicking here.