Former Arsenal academy star, 23, is tetraplegic and needs 24-hour care after drink was ‘spiked’

A former Arsenal Academy star had his drink ‘spiked’ during a night out and is now tetraplegic, confined to a wheelchair and in need of 24-hour care, his family have revealed.

Daniel Cain, now 23, from Hemel Hemstead, Hertfordshire, was a fit and healthy young footballer who was also a qualified electrician – until a night out with friends in 2020 came to a tragic end.

On June 9 of that year, his friends suddenly noticed that he looked “funny” and unresponsive – he had gone into cardiac arrest.

They performed CPR until an ambulance arrived, then paramedics took over and worked on the young man for 24 minutes until they managed to get his heart beating again.

After being taken to the hospital, the football player was in a coma for 25 days, as doctors told his loved ones to prepare for the worst – that he would not recover.

But he was left tetraplegic after going into cardiac arrest after spiked his drink on a night out

His mother Tracey Cain told the Independent: “Once I found out, I just went into automatic mommy mode. I called his father who was at work and his sister came back from Essex.

“Around 3-4 in the morning they were trying to prepare us for him not to wake up, but I told us to keep trying.”

Doctors warned Cain’s family that even if he woke up, he would suffer severe brain damage and be in a “vegetative” state due to the amount of time his brain and spinal cord were deprived of oxygen.

Despite the odds, the young man awoke from his coma, although at first he could not do anything at all.

Mrs Cain said: ‘When he woke up he couldn’t do anything, he couldn’t move – he was like a newborn. But nurses said he followed them with his eyes, so they said someone was inside.’

Over time, Daniel began to recover his cognitive functions and limited movement – his mother said that while his short-term memory was impaired, his long-term memory was intact.

His older sister Natalie said her brother spent two and a half years in various hospitals and care homes before finally being allowed to go home in December.

He is now wheelchair bound and also has limited upper body movement which means he needs full time care. He depends on his family, has to be hoisted in and out of bed and taken to the bathroom.

According to his sister, the former footballer has been following rehabilitation sessions at the non-profit organization Neurokinex since January.

Over time, Daniel began to recover his cognitive functions and limited movement – his mother said that while his short-term memory was impaired, his long-term memory was intact. Pictured: Mr. Cain as a young boy playing football

Despite the odds, the young man awoke from his coma, although at first he could not do anything at all

He is now wheelchair bound and also has limited upper body movement which means he needs full time care

His older sister Natalie said her brother spent two and a half years in various hospitals and care homes before he was finally allowed to go home in December.

While the first six sessions were funded by the NHS, his family now has to self-fund daily sessions at £63 an hour, from four to eight a week.

According to a GoFundMe campaign started by Natalie, this will cost up to £24,192 per year.

Daniel’s mother said he’s been told he has PTSD, depression and anxiety, but physio is “his happy place.”

Natalie said, “Daniel is incredibly elated and so full of hope at Neurokinex as he is assessed and challenged on various equipment.

“Let’s keep his spirit and hope alive by making sure he has the resources to enable his continuous rehab sessions.

“With Neurokinex, he can resume his life at the tender age of 23. He will be able to return to full physicality and strength, stand on his own two feet again, resume his previous hobbies and start a career.”

Donate to Daniel’s GoFundMe campaign here.

He depends on his family, has to be hoisted in and out of bed and taken to the bathroom

Daniel’s mum said he’s been told he has PTSD, depression and anxiety but physio is ‘his happy place’