Updates

Manchester United kindly invited Jamie and his family to the Carrington training complex to see the players training prior to their match with Newcastle United and tickets for the match itself. The club also provided hotel accommodation for the trip.

On Friday they went to the training ground; it was explained that normally no-one is allowed to watch the training, (even relatives of the players) but they were asked not to take photos or video it. How strange it was that they were standing only yards away from these players, most of whom play for their country... Scotland, England, Wales, Portugal, France, Holland, Brazil, Serbia and so on..

They won't give away any of the teams training 'secrets' but it was wonderful to watch – the players were full of fun and laughing, messing around and so obviously enjoying what they did it was great for the family to watch. At the end, Nani, Anderson and Ronaldo stayed longer on the pitch and did extra shooting practise, which paid dividends in the match the next day! The manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, said hello and so did several players (notably Ryan Giggs) as they passed them on their way to the changing rooms.

Match day arrived with everyone in high spirits, Liam was playing in the Quarter Finals of the Manchester Cup for Manchester Metropolitan University, Jamie and Karen took in the first half before departing to Old Trafford meeting lots of friends and well wishers around the ground and in the Bishops Blaze (thanks to Boylie and the door staff for organising – a big thank you to the Balcony)

At 4:30 they arrived at the entrance to the Players Lounge entrance being meet by the Security guys (nice guys and very supportive); they then proceeded through to the tunnel and up into the players lounge.

The family had half an hour to chat and soak up the atmosphere before going back down to the tunnel, entering the ground just before the teams.

This was a very emotional time for Jamie who was in tears realising how far he had come from that fateful day in May 2005 when he was attacked by cowardly thugs in Southampton.

Before the match there was a special announcement by Alan to the crowd that the family were there and a huge cheer went up! He also did it again at half time.

The game was great, such a skillful match and in the first half despite no goals there were several near misses. In the second half an amazing 6 goals were scored by United, so it was a thrilling match to watch.

After the match they followed after the players left the pitch and waited in the player's lounge. One by one the players came through, then a club official took a shirt to the players dressing room so they could sign it. Then they asked the kids if they wanted to go into the tunnel where some of the players would bypass the lounge - so they leapt off with Karen’s camera, leaving her with an old borrowed one with which she took snaps of Jamie with some of the players. Then he got the word that Sir Alex wanted to see him, so he was ushered next door for a chat. Ryan Giggs mother came through to talk to Karen, having been told about what happened; she is a nurse, so was very sympathetic and understanding.

When the kids re-appeared they were full of it, having taken pics with Rooney, Ronaldo, Rio, O'Shea, Vidic, Nani and many more.

Many, many thanks are extended to all those who took time out to chat to the family (A big thanks to Barry Moorhouse and Phil Townsend and all the staff in an around the Players Lounge for such a hospitable day).

Jamie has just started his third Tai Chi beginners class. These classes help him with balance, co-ordination and relaxation.

With 108 moves to learn this also helps Jamie with his memory although he is now on his third try; but with his determination he will get there however long it takes.

Milestone day today; Jamie went to his last physiotherapy appointment at the hospital. Unless his injuries get worse again on his arm and hand, he is now discharged from further treatment on that aspect of his injuries.

His physiotherapist, Gordon, was amazed how well he has recovered the use of his shoulder and built back up the muscles that had wasted on his left side – quite remarkable considering that at one time he was completely paralysed on one side. Jamie spends a considerable amount of time at the gym, membership of which was paid for by donations from fans and well-wishers, and has achieved so much progress over the 2 years since he was attacked that the left side of his body is now as strong as the right.

When Jamie first started out at the gym he was so shaky walking that he was not allowed to use the running machines and he had to wear his protective helmet at all times in case he had an epileptic fit. Once, whilst swimming (before the operation to replace his skull) another swimmer collided with him and brought his elbow down on his head, which was potentially disastrous.

Jamie has gained a lot from exercise, psychologically it gives him targets and objectives, it creates endorphins and doing classes aids his co-ordination and balance. Jamie finds it impossible to follow an instructor who faces him as his brain cannot reverse the movements, but with the help and understanding of gym staff he has gradually built up what he can do and his fitness has increased. Many thanks to all the staff and instructors at JJB.

Today is the 2^nd anniversary of the attack on Jamie, and ironically whilst this week he will have been taken him to two different hospitals this week for treatment, the violent actions of a few moments have caused so much pain and distress. Head injuries like Jamie’s can be caused by accidents, by strokes or intentionally – and the effects change the victim forever.

At the moment, since Christmas, Jamie’s been suffering side effects from the operation to insert an artificial piece of skull and on bad days he can barely walk. On good days you wouldn’t see there is anything wrong with him – they call it the ‘invisible injury’. His memory is affected, his thought processing is faulty and although he has made every effort to improve himself, subtle changes in his ‘executive functions’ mean he misunderstands tone of voice and becomes angry quickly and unnecessarily.

Jamie has recovered much of his fitness and his speech is almost normal except when he is tired. However tomorrow we visit the neurosurgeon to discuss whether they should remove the acrylic plate, keep it out for 6 months, then replace it. The prospect of going through all that again, twice, and the associated risks of the surgery are unimaginable. Weighed up against the days when he is so dizzy he cannot walk unsupported, or has splitting headaches, it is a choice which is difficult to make.

Jamie’s had a rough few months, just when we felt he was on the mend. Something was wrong - causing intolerable headaches and dizziness, resulting in several visits to A & E where they clearly had no idea what to do with him – so the only thing to do was try to get an appointment with the neurosurgeons at the hospital where his artificial skull was inserted.

A large oval piece of Jamie’s skull was cut out when he was operated on after the original attack over two years ago, to allow the surgeons access to take out the blood pooling in his brain which would have killed him.

One of the risks of the operation to replace his skull was infection; Jamie had already successfully battled against the killer superbugs MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and ESBL (Chlostridium Difficile), but an artificial acrylic skull was considered less risky to replace the original.

A huge worry at the time was the long delay in carrying out the operation had probably caused his scalp to start adhering to the covering of the brain itself, and when the scalp was pulled back to put in the skull if bleeding occurred from a tear, it would have caused further brain damage and for the family waiting for the operation and whilst the operation itself was carried out it was an agonising wait.

So, five brain scans (completed with coloured dye being pumped through him) and blood tests later, no cause is clear for his alarming change of symptoms. It is fairly random, we cannot pin it down to any particular factor, and on good days to look at Jamie you would not see a problem. On a bad day he has to hold the walls to walk along, and usually stays in bed. His head spins like the worst drunk, and he is in terrible pain. He has been given stronger painkillers, which is ironic as after the operation until Christmas his headaches had gone completely. He is very frustrated, but makes the most of days when he feels ok.

Other lasting effects of the attack are pain and weakness in his left arm; following a minor operation at the end of last year on his wrist there is some improvement but he still receives physiotherapy and is hoping to avoid another more complex operation on his shoulder.

One of the worst problems is his left eye that has poor peripheral vision – he often misses things or people on his left. Doctors tell us there is nothing they can do, the eye is perfect but the signal from the brain must be faulty. Jamie still has no sense of smell – which affected taste, and some things Jamie always enjoyed – like coffee – he cannot stand now.

For Jamie’s family the most difficult thing to deal with is changes in personality and they often struggle to cope when Jamie misunderstands tone of voice, becoming angry over nothing and finding it difficult to control his temper. Mentally Jamie has made a remarkable recovery from what was a very severe brain injury. Recently he has been taking a high dose of Omega 3 and 6 oils which seems to have made a massive difference, and he continues to attend a Day Centre for people with brain injuries at Headway, where he has re-taken computer and maths qualifications to regain some of his lost skills. Jamie still has memory problems and has been taught complex strategies to remember important things. Jamie also spends a lot more time than normal sleeping, which is a common side-effect of head injuries

Jamie has had a bit of a rough few weeks, Jamie has had a bit of a relapse with a new non-stop headache under the acrylic plate, for which they've given him stronger pain killers, and extreme dizziness and fatigue. He has been taken for 3 brain scans in the last 6 weeks, but they can't be sure what's wrong - something is - we're hoping it might be one of the anti-convulsion drugs so they're stepping those down (which might bring on a fit) but the alternative is an infection under the plate, which can remain undetected by the blood tests apparently, and the only cure for that is to re-do the operation!! So we hope it's not that...

Jamie is still improving, but unable to work for the foreseeable future. He still has problems with his eyesight in one side and his arm and hand on the same side, despite a recent operation on his wrist, for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome which doctors consider was probably caused when he was moved whilst unconscious in hospital. He may need another operation on his shoulder to relieve the tingling and pain he feels in his hand and arm, but he now has much better control of his fingers which was quite a problem causing him to drop things.

Jamie still has all sorts of other problems he still gets quite a lot of treatment and does a lot to help himself, even down to doing puzzles and trying to juggle and goes to the gym to improve his co-ordination. Sadly the headaches which have plagued him since the injury have returned after a brief respite, so even last week he had to be taken to A & E for an emergency brain scan but it’s thrown up nothing definite, so he’s just been prescribed yet more tablets. He cannot drive now, as he developed fits after the operation to replace his skull with an acrylic plate.

It’s a long, long road to recovery for something that was inflicted in a few seconds. However, he’s well enough now to appreciate that people care for him. There was a long period of time which passed without Jamie knowing what had happened or having the mental capacity to realise what had happened to him but now he is able to appreciate the changes that the brain injury made to his life and that of his family. The realisation of this is sometimes quite difficult to cope with, leading to depression and anger.

Jamie now needs to sleep a lot more in the day and is easily fatigued by both mental and physical efforts, and plagued by headaches. On the whole, his health is now improving and his family would like to thank all those who have generosity donated to his appeal fund or written emails or letters of support.

Finally, in August 2006, Jamie Turner had the operation he had been waiting for to replace the missing piece of his skull. A piece of Jamie’s skull was removed during emergency surgery in May 2005 to relieve pressure following a closed head injury sustained during an unprovoked assault.

The neurosurgeon preferred not to put his own skull back in because of the risk of infection after such a long wait. Instead he decided that an acrylic implant would best correct the huge cranial defect. This would restore his head shape to normal and provide protection to his brain for the rest of his life. The aim of the operation was to protect Jamie’s brain and allow him to live a normal life, resuming some of his old hobbies. The operation was a complete success but took double the estimated time due to the difficulty separating the tissue of his scalp from his brain.

There is still a small chance that his body might reject the artificial piece, but so far (apart from an ugly scar) it looks ok ie no visible infection. He had the staples removed after four weeks and obviously has headaches and finds the wound very irritating. He now has to take a cocktail of drugs daily, which is very annoying to him as before he was attacked he refused to take so much as a headache tablet. The not so good news is that he had an epileptic fit a few days after the operation so the doctors say he will have to take the anti-fit medicine for life. If the drugs prevent further fits he will have to learn to live with that. Anyway, early days yet, so thanks again for your support which is very much appreciated. He’s looking well and feeling much better already.

Now more than a year later, Jamie has had in excess of 200 outpatient appointments with various consultants as medical experts strive to ‘put him together again’. Jamie has had help from speech therapists, cognitive psychotherapists’, neurologists, urologists, physiotherapists, ophthalmologists, opticians, nerve specialists and head injury specialists. The brain controls every function of the body, so nearly every part of Jamie’s body had been affected and it has been a long battle to try to put things back to how they were before the attack. His progress is amazing!

May 2006

Jamie and Karen along with Liam and Kirsty attended the function ‘60 of the BEST’ Presented by IMUSA & MUST at Samuel Platt’s Trafford Wharf Road, Trafford Park, Manchester. They joined with the Best family in Celebrating George Bests 60th Birthday. Also attending was Guest Speaker Paddy Crerand with live entertainment from Don Fardon Performing his hit single ‘Belfast Boy’, Cracked Flag Performing their single ‘Goodbye to the Belfast boy’ and Mickey O’Farrell & Mallet Performing ‘The Ballad of George Best’

For a review of the night please read Red Print issue 26. See page 3 & page 4. A rare family outing many thanks Stuart and all who arranged the event.

Amongst the audience were two United fans who undertook a sponsored bike ride from Manchester to Telford arriving for the Jamie Turner benefit game. Seen here presenting a cheque was Sean Hancock and his son Brian . Les Croft also cycled from Manchester to Telford for this match.

Due to a medical mix up, doctors did not put Jamie on the waiting list for this operation until January 2006 and the neurosurgeon at Stoke did not consider his case ‘urgent’ so he was put on the list with his other patients, all the time knowing that the longer it took the more risk that the skin of the scalp would begin to adhere to the dura, (the layer of skin protecting the brain) and that surgeons could inadvertently cause bleeding as they tried to separate the skin from the brain, leading to a stroke and more brain damage.

Jamie’s wife launched a very public campaign to change this situation, invoking a petition on-line which raised 5000 signatures in just two weeks. Their daughter Kirsty and her friends took the petition door to door on their estate, copies were left at shops, businesses and petrol stations throughout the area and over a thousand people who attended a benefit football match for Jamie also signed up, together with both teams and match officials.

The Turners and their MP David Wright took this to the Chief Executive of the Telford & Wrekin Primary Care Trust and presented it in a meeting, with national press in attendance outside. The Midlands Today program and Shropshire Star newspaper (who had both covered Jamie’s story from the beginning) gave it full coverage. Karen also wrote letters to several important people, gaining a positive response from HM Queen Elizabeth. The Queen showed her understanding of the situation and sympathy for Jamie and his family and directed her private secretary to write to the Minister for Health which provoked a positive reaction.

Karen received a letter on behalf of Patricia Hewitt at the Department of Health, which said:-

"The Department is, of course, aware of the very distressing experiences that your husband and your whole family have been through, and your dissatisfaction with the Primary Care Trust is clear.

I understand that, since writing to Her Majesty, your husband has been offered an appointment on 13 July for the operation. (at a different hospital as Karen suggested)

The Department of course hopes that the operation is a success and that your husband is soon firmly on the road to recovery."

Result! Jamie went into hospital on Wednesday of the following week, and his operation took place the next day.

Jamie was determined despite the risks to go forward with the operation which he hoped would put many things back to normal. Karen was warned that he was likely to be in a confused state again after the operation, so Jamie’s family and friends waited very anxiously until not only the operation was over but beyond to see what he had retained after such a long fight to get 'back to normal'.