‘Am I going to be able to live normally?’ Denver Hume on the injury that ended his career | OneFootball

Denver Hume has described the brain injury suffered in a Fleetwood Town training session that ended his career at 28.

"A big diagonal ball got played across the field, and I've jumped up and headed the ball. The other lad, with no intention to hurt me, has jumped up to try and control the ball and his whole knee has connected with the left side of my head." He told Sunderland Echo.

"It was a very scary time because initially I thought, yes, it's a serious injury, but it's one of those where you think it might keep you out for a week or two from playing. Then the following day I went for the scan and sat down with the physio, and he shared the news with me that I'd fractured my skull and had a bleed on the brain."

"That's when you probably think more about your overall life rather than just your playing career. Am I going to be able to carry on with my daily life?"

"For the first six weeks, it wasn't nice at all. Even little things like going for a walk, which would normally feel pretty normal, would bring on headaches."

"I probably got to a stage after maybe the five or six-month mark where I realised the severity of it and the potential of not being able to return to play. It's been a really tough time."

"I'm happy, and I'm probably lucky to be in a place now where I have recovered from that side of things, and I am able to do normal things." More than 10 months after the collision, he announced retirement, having joined Sunderland aged eight and made 84 first-team appearances.

Source: Sunderland Echo

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