Hi, my name is Drew Turner and I’m 22 years old. I was born with Cystic Fibrosis and got into football at the age of 4 to try keep my lungs as healthy as possible. I’ve played for Durham Academy and Sunderland as well as attending England Regional Camps. I then developed Cystic Fibrosis Related Diabetes on top of this making exercise more important than ever. At the start of October I was on the receiving end of a tackle that left me screaming on the floor in pain. Originally I was told it was a patellar subluxation, however after an MRI it shows a severe ACL tear as well as a meniscus tear. As we all know the waiting list is huge due to the influx of ACL injuries meaning it would be over a year until I’d be getting the surgery. This means no exercise. The devastating effect this will have on both my health conditions leaves me in a crippling state mentally and physically. Football has been the only thing that has got me through some horrendously difficult medical treatments and hospital stays throughout my life. Therefore, I am seeking any help I can get into going privately for this surgery so I have a chance of getting back to exercising before the effects are too damaging. The surgery will cost too much for me to fund on my own, around £10,000. Any help at all will go a long way in hopefully getting my life back on track.

Words From My Mam

Hi, our daughter Drew is really struggling… She has embraced football as a passion to keep her healthy since 4yrs old, she is now 22. She wasn’t meant to reach 22yrs old… We have battled chronic pseudomonas, aspergillosis, ABPA, CF related diabetes, pneumonia, chronic tonsillitis, autism (making treatment sooo difficult) anaemia and chronic anxiety- through all this football has been the rock to which we’ve all clung too. Football has kept her healthy until such medication evolved to enable her (and her sister) to cope with a life with a chronic condition. She has lost friends, experiences and just fun times to her health issues. She’s reached Sunderland and Durham regional talent centres and then England camp. All of this on top of having CF… It’s beating her now, and we’re struggling to help. She’s hit an awful ACL Injury whilst playing and it’s crippling her more mentally than physically. The waiting list is so long and football is all she’s ever known to help her through. She’s sacrificed any ambition due to her health. She’s had to step down and see her peers succeed, all beyond her control. She’s took all the physical and emotional treatments/restrictions thrown at her. This is not just an injury to Drew, it’s almost a loss of identity- football is all she’s ever known. Any help would be such a life changing experience for Drew. Thank you for reading & understanding her journey x