Mum of James Walker thanks Southend fans for their support ahead of charity match
Dawn Frederick has told us the story of her son's career and life changing brain injury
Dawn Frederick, the mother of former football player James Walker, expressed her gratitude to Southend fans for their unwavering support ahead of a charity match organized to help fund additional support for him.
James, who had a successful career playing for England from under 17 to under 21, faced a challenging time in his life after suffering a sudden collapse during a trampoline demonstration.
Dawn shared her journey with us, highlighting the highs and lows of James's career and his ongoing recovery.
Dawn fondly remembered her son's early talent as a versatile player who excelled as a striker, right winger, and center forward. She followed him closely as he progressed through various clubs, even when he was loaned out:
"I used to still go and watch the matches. And I used to follow him everywhere and support him. Yes, it was brilliant times, really, to see that my son was getting better and better from the age of 5 for when he was noticed that he's really good at football.
"You know, it was brilliant even when we had to wait two years because he was playing with kids like a year to two years older than himself and we had to wait two years for him to then play in in the actual matches when he was 7.
"He was a natural player, so it was lovely watching him... brilliant times, really, to see that my son was getting better and better from the age of 5... It was lovely watching him."
Dawn then told us about the life-changing moment she received a phone call informing her of James's collapse. It happened shortly after he had been demonstrating backflips at a sports centre in Basildon.
"I got a phone call from his fiancé. Saying to me that James has collapsed and he's been taken to hospital.
I said, what are you talking about? But I just saw a little clip on Instagram of him doing backflips with at at Basildon Sports Centre... She said: 'Yeah, it happened just after he was doing the flips'.
"So he was showing the school kids because he was working in a school for problem kids. And he was at gymnastics with them, showing them trampoline stuff because he just got his trampoline bages, so he could coach trampolining.
"And when he went to do It the second time, that's when he then stopped.
"He just went to his knee and apparently rolled over. His heart just stopped.
"It took a little while. It took 30 minutes to get his heart started again and I think that's when the paramedics that ambulance paramedics actually got his heart started and then they flew him to Hospital".
After James's initial recovery, Dawn faced another challenge when medical professionals suggested turning off life support due to concerns about his quality of life and potential personality changes. Determined to advocate for James, she fought for court protection and deputyship to ensure she could make decisions on his behalf.
"Eventually, I had to fight all that... I had to be battling and fighting to keep him going."
Despite setbacks and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on his rehabilitation, Dawn noticed small but significant improvements in James's condition when he received the appropriate support and when he started to withdraw from certain medications.
"He's been earning how to walk and try to gain to eat. But he's fed through a tube and his medication gets put through it too because of the damage of the brain.
"He can't swallow. The whole of his brain is damaged, but the frontal lobe is completely damaged. And that is what gives you the actions that you take. It sort of guides you. And that is not working. So it's like everything has to be done for him.
Throughout this journey, Dawn herself faced health issues, including an enlarged heart similar to James's condition. The stress of caring for her son, the recent loss of her mother, and her own medical conditions took a toll on her well-being.
"Because the COVID came, a lot of stuff changed. So I'd say a good two years or three years he's not had no support or that so he's sort of gone backwards. I found that he was put on to psychotic medication, which then made it worse, made him worse, made him go withdraw even more because it it freezes your brain or freezes the development of it.
"We've been seeing tiny, tiny improvements, but then tiny improvements is big for us, you know".
However, she remained resilient, knowing she had to be there for James, her family, and herself.
"So every time I see James, I speak with him, I speak with him every day. So I I try to remind him and remind him of things. He's got to learn to retain new memories because he can't access the old memories."
The upcoming charity match organized by the Shrimpers Trust provides a ray of hope for Dawn and James. The Trust's support came at a critical time when NHS funding for James's care was reduced. Dawn expressed her initial scepticism about public exposure, but she felt grateful for the support and the financial assistance the charity match would provide for James's specialized care.
"I was a bit sceptical because somebody approached me way back. They said some of the players were gonna put on a charity match for him, but at the time I didn't really want it all exposed because like I said, it was very sensitive, I didn't know whether (James) was gonna make it or not.
"So I wanted to keep all the publicity a bit quiet, but. When the Shrimpers trust came and approached me, I was very grateful because I was just being told by the NHS that they're not going to be funding James' care".
She told us of the importance of the Southend fans' support and expressed her deep appreciation for their involvement in the charity match.
"I have said to him, people have donated so they can pay for things that you need to help you get better. And he said, 'ohh. Those people are very kind, aren't they?' And I said yes, everyone's been kind.
"I like him, don't forget to practise with your kicking because you've got kick far - because you're gonna do the first kick of the game. To start the game off and decide which side is gonna start. And he goes, yeah, yeah, I know, I know. I know. And then later I'll ask him again, and then he'll say 'What's that? The match. The football match. Ohh yeah, yeah, yeah'. So he retains bits and not some. But he is looking forward to it cause he knows he's going out and it's gonna be football.".
"So I'd like to just say thanks everybody for being there for James. It it is well appreciated and well loved. The whole setup with everybody's support, with the donations and to make sure that James does, get better for the future'".
The game serves as a reminder to Dawn that James was not alone in his journey to recovery. She said the collective efforts of the community have brought hope and encouragement to both James and his family.