Seen as we're playing Southampton this weekend, this story has naturally been brought into the public eye again.
It really is shocking.
This is taken from another website...
'What you are about to read is not a funny story. It is a bitter, dramatic, sad story. It should make us think. It is the story of any fan of any football team of any country. That he is called Jamie Turner and is a fan of Manchester United is really just a detail. Certainly, not for him and certainly not for his family. The date of 15th May 2005 will remain impressed in Jamie Turner’s memory for the rest of his life. Luckily.
Because it means that he still has a life and a memory. And, from the very beginning, it was clear that the risk of losing both was very high. Like so many times as he had done before with his friends, on that damn day Jamie had gone to the away match to support Manchester United, his favourite team. The season’s calendar had brought him to the south of the island, to Southampton. Suddenly, however, the day of fun was turned into a nightmare.
A long and painful nightmare. As soon as he arrived in the vicinity of the stadium, he was attacked from behind by a group of fans of the local team and in a moment he found himself on the ground, hit on the head and unconscious. His skull had caved in, was fractured from ear to ear and the whole business was complicated by a brain haemorrhage. Immediately assisted and taken to the neurosurgical department of Southampton hospital, he had a whole section of his skull removed to facilitate the operation required to stop the haemorrhage. His family was immediately informed of his critical condition which was such as be seriously lifethreatening. For three weeks Jamie Turner was in a coma suspended between life and death. When he did awake it was immediately obvious that his brain has been gravely damaged and that if he ever did recover it would have taken some time, seeing as how Jamie has awakened with the mind of a five year old child. His wife and children stayed by his bedside trying to stimulate the recovery of his mental faculties and trying to discover what information he still possessed, as practically nothing of his life was initially present in his memory files: Jamie was just about able to read, but not to write, he had aphasia, an alteration of the language faculty, his voice was monotonous and his capacity of expression very limited. And that was not all: Jamie was paralyzed on one side of his body and in spite of every effort, his left arm and hand were blocked and, by not transmitting the correct signals to his brain, his left eye denied him full capacity of sight.
Terrible migraines and a constant sense of fatigue worsened his case history. After numerous operations and much rehabilitation, with tens of specialists from various sectors of medical science, in August 2006 Jamie Turner was finally operated on once more to fix his broken skull with the insertion of a plaque to replace the piece of skullcap that had been removed in May 2005. This was necessary to protect the part of his brain where the blows had damaged it most. A few moments was all it took to make him a vegetable and years were needed to help him to recover a semblance of normality that will never be total. And above all so much suffering and unbelievable expenses. Jamie is still not able to work; he suffers from problems of sight, depression and constant migraines. And he has a great need to sleep and rest. But Jamie Turner’s story does not end here. Thanks to the help of his family, his friends, the fans of Manchester United and many nameless people, Jamie has ecovered. Slowly, but he has recovered. On 11th January last, Manchester United Football Club invited him with his family to meet the players of his favourite team on the occasion of the work-out before the following day’s match. And on 12th January, Jamie Turner returned to the Old Trafford. The United players had promised him an intense match, dedicated to him and his family. A victory, all for them.
And that was how it went: Manchester United won 6-0 against Newcastle.
Jamie, overcome with emotion, returned for a few moments to being a normal man, forgetting his great suffering. And so, for now, we come to the end of a tragic story of a football fan, cowardly attacked by someone who left him almost dead on the ground. Action Now – Play old style has decided to offer its own small contribution of economic assistance to the Turner family.
Over the next few days, in agreement with Jamie Turner and his family, some photographic works donated by the Swedish artist Charlotta Smeds – works that were shown in the Photographic Exhibition ‘Flick about’ and that portray Subbuteo players of Manchester United – will be auctioned. The proceeds of the auction will be given to the Fund that was created especially for Jamie. Because even a small offering can contribute to assisting a great man and a great fan'
He was seen in Tokyo a fwe weeks back, and is apparently now feeling and looking alot better.
Which is good to hear.
It really is shocking.
This is taken from another website...
'What you are about to read is not a funny story. It is a bitter, dramatic, sad story. It should make us think. It is the story of any fan of any football team of any country. That he is called Jamie Turner and is a fan of Manchester United is really just a detail. Certainly, not for him and certainly not for his family. The date of 15th May 2005 will remain impressed in Jamie Turner’s memory for the rest of his life. Luckily.
Because it means that he still has a life and a memory. And, from the very beginning, it was clear that the risk of losing both was very high. Like so many times as he had done before with his friends, on that damn day Jamie had gone to the away match to support Manchester United, his favourite team. The season’s calendar had brought him to the south of the island, to Southampton. Suddenly, however, the day of fun was turned into a nightmare.
A long and painful nightmare. As soon as he arrived in the vicinity of the stadium, he was attacked from behind by a group of fans of the local team and in a moment he found himself on the ground, hit on the head and unconscious. His skull had caved in, was fractured from ear to ear and the whole business was complicated by a brain haemorrhage. Immediately assisted and taken to the neurosurgical department of Southampton hospital, he had a whole section of his skull removed to facilitate the operation required to stop the haemorrhage. His family was immediately informed of his critical condition which was such as be seriously lifethreatening. For three weeks Jamie Turner was in a coma suspended between life and death. When he did awake it was immediately obvious that his brain has been gravely damaged and that if he ever did recover it would have taken some time, seeing as how Jamie has awakened with the mind of a five year old child. His wife and children stayed by his bedside trying to stimulate the recovery of his mental faculties and trying to discover what information he still possessed, as practically nothing of his life was initially present in his memory files: Jamie was just about able to read, but not to write, he had aphasia, an alteration of the language faculty, his voice was monotonous and his capacity of expression very limited. And that was not all: Jamie was paralyzed on one side of his body and in spite of every effort, his left arm and hand were blocked and, by not transmitting the correct signals to his brain, his left eye denied him full capacity of sight.
Terrible migraines and a constant sense of fatigue worsened his case history. After numerous operations and much rehabilitation, with tens of specialists from various sectors of medical science, in August 2006 Jamie Turner was finally operated on once more to fix his broken skull with the insertion of a plaque to replace the piece of skullcap that had been removed in May 2005. This was necessary to protect the part of his brain where the blows had damaged it most. A few moments was all it took to make him a vegetable and years were needed to help him to recover a semblance of normality that will never be total. And above all so much suffering and unbelievable expenses. Jamie is still not able to work; he suffers from problems of sight, depression and constant migraines. And he has a great need to sleep and rest. But Jamie Turner’s story does not end here. Thanks to the help of his family, his friends, the fans of Manchester United and many nameless people, Jamie has ecovered. Slowly, but he has recovered. On 11th January last, Manchester United Football Club invited him with his family to meet the players of his favourite team on the occasion of the work-out before the following day’s match. And on 12th January, Jamie Turner returned to the Old Trafford. The United players had promised him an intense match, dedicated to him and his family. A victory, all for them.
And that was how it went: Manchester United won 6-0 against Newcastle.
Jamie, overcome with emotion, returned for a few moments to being a normal man, forgetting his great suffering. And so, for now, we come to the end of a tragic story of a football fan, cowardly attacked by someone who left him almost dead on the ground. Action Now – Play old style has decided to offer its own small contribution of economic assistance to the Turner family.
Over the next few days, in agreement with Jamie Turner and his family, some photographic works donated by the Swedish artist Charlotta Smeds – works that were shown in the Photographic Exhibition ‘Flick about’ and that portray Subbuteo players of Manchester United – will be auctioned. The proceeds of the auction will be given to the Fund that was created especially for Jamie. Because even a small offering can contribute to assisting a great man and a great fan'
He was seen in Tokyo a fwe weeks back, and is apparently now feeling and looking alot better.
Which is good to hear.
