A father saved his son’s fledging soccer profession by giving him a tendon from his personal hamstring in a groundbreaking surgical procedure.
Andy Milbank didn’t hesitate to make the donation for teenager Matthew, regardless of the operation leaving him on crutches.
The younger footballer was prime purpose scorer for Gillingham’s under-14s earlier than a torn knee ligament put him out of play final 12 months.
He wanted the identical operation as Paul Gascoigne, who famously tore his within the 1991 FA Cup Ultimate whereas at Spurs.
However Matthew’s sporting future was extra in danger as a result of as much as 30 p.c of ACL – anterior cruciate ligament – repairs fail within the under-20s.
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The striker, now 15, was supplied a lifeline – pioneering surgical procedure utilizing a a lot stronger tendon from a mother or father to create a graft as a substitute of one in every of his personal.
The success of the brand new process may benefit hundreds of kids who would in any other case want repeat operations.
When medical doctors operating the primary UK trial proposed the thought of harvesting a tendon to restore Matthew’s knee, Andy, 55, whose personal father was a semi-professional participant, instantly stepped ahead.
“Something to assist my son be capable of play once more,” stated the airport employee from Dartford, Kent.
“If there was something I may do, I wished to do it; my very own footballing days are effectively and actually behind me. Matthew was enjoying the very best soccer of his profession when he obtained injured.”
Matthew, whose two-year contract was renewed by Gillingham, stated: “Each my mum and pop volunteered to donate after we have been supplied the chance to participate within the trial.
“The surgeon advised us my dad’s hamstring would give me the very best likelihood as a result of he was taller and stronger – so in August the 2 of us have been facet by facet in working theatres at Tunbridge Wells Hospital, the place the surgical procedure was carried out.”
Knee surgeon Nick Bowman carried out Matthew’s ligament restore after finishing up comparable surgical procedure whereas on fellowship in Australia.
He stated: “Kids’s tendons are so weak and thin, their ligament repairs typically re-rupture.
“After I interviewed with Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Belief on my return, I advised them I used to be decided we needs to be the primary within the UK to supply paediatric ACL repairs utilizing transplanted grownup tendons.
“A trial was mounted and Matthew was one of many first of 16 kids to get a restore with a graft common from the hamstring of one in every of their dad and mom.”
The trial will proceed till September subsequent 12 months and Mr Bowman stated: “Though it’s early days, we’ve got had no failures.”