Thousands assist Hemel engineer who survived a coma in his bid to walk again

Thousands of people have donated to a fundraiser assisting an engineer from Hemel Hempstead in his bid to regain independence after spending 25 days in a coma.

Daniel Cain’s family were told he would not survive after he suffered a cardiac arrest when his drink was spiked.

At one point medical professionals told Daniel’s mum, Tracy, to take him off life support.

It is suspected that Daniel’s drink was spiked on a night out in 9 June 2020.

He suffered brain and spinal cord injuries while his brain and spine were starved of oxygen.

This meant when Daniel did wake up he was unable to walk, and had difficulty moving his upper body.

For a year Daniel was alone in hospital unable to see his family in-person due to Covid restrictions.

In last December after a two-and-a-half year wait he returned home to Hertfordshire.

However, he still requires round-the-clock care with relatives needed to help Daniel out of bed and going to the bathroom.

Before the incident Daniel was a promising footballer who was once a member of Arsenal’s academy.

He played for Comets, Hemel Aces and Hemel Town youth clubs. These days Daniel needs a wheelchair to get around, and is in need of regular treatment to help him reach his ultimate goal of walking again and regaining a level of independence.

He completed six NHS-funded rehabilitation sessions, but now must pay £63-an-hour for further assistance.

His sister, Natalie, launched a fundraiser asking for help to get her brother the treatment he needs.

Their Go Fund Me page can be found here, so far over 4,500 people have donated, raising £86,068.

She said: “At 23 years of age, Daniel is not giving up. He has the opportunity to regain the full use of his legs, to stand and walk once again, and to achieve total independence via an organisation called Neurokinex, in Hemel Hempstead. This will involve a lot of intensive and expensive rehabilitation therapy, but we are determined to help Daniel thrive once again.”

Daniel discussed his time in hospital and the attempts he has made to improve his health with Sky News.

He said: "I didn't want to act like a victim or feel sorry for myself.

"I couldn't move my arms and legs, I had to have speech and language therapy.

"I spent my 21st birthday alone and spent a year speaking to relatives on Skype and on the phone.

"But I'm quite a positive person, I had to look at the silver lining and get on with it really."

Sky News also spoke with Daniel's mother who refused to give up on her son, despite the instructions she was given in hospital.

Tracey said: "I just refused to accept he wasn't going to recover.

"At one point [the doctors] said, 'there's nothing more we can do', but where there is life, there is hope.

"I refused to give up. I brought him into the world but I can't take his life away, it's not my choice to switch off equipment, he needed every chance he had."