51 DAYS OF HELL.. AND THEN TEARS OF PURE JOY
Clayton’s relief at seeing virus-hit dad finally win his survival battle
FEW footballers have ridden the emotional roller-coaster more than Middlesbrough’s Adam Clayton during the pandemic.
The Boro midfielder and his family have gone through hell, with his father Steve on the brink of death during a harrowing 51 days in intensive care after being stricken with the virus in March.
But this week Clayton shed tears of joy after watching his dad being given a guard of honour by doctors and nurses at North Manchester Infirmary after winning his survival battle.
It has been a bittersweet period for the 31-year-old, who before lockdown was embroiled in a relegation dogfight at the Riverside.
Two months before sport ground to a halt, Clayton’s wife Mandi gave birth to daughter Bea, but joy was laced with despair when his father became ill.
And for the past seven weeks, the family have felt helpless as Steve fought for his life in intensive care.
Clayton said: “Dad was in an induced coma 22 years ago and was probably just as close to passing away back then.
“He had already had underlying health conditions so there were days when we wondered if we would get the worst news.
“One day, his heart failed and the nurses managed to bring him around, then another day his kidney went and another day, his lungs.
“Every two days something was going wrong so I spoke to the doctor and said, ‘Look, tell me straight, do I need to get my mum ready for the worst?’
“His response was not brilliant – he was saying it was below 50-50 but, in my head, it was lower than that already.
“I thought it was 10 per cent. So when he said 50-50, it was kind of a relief, weirdly.
“I know the sort of mentality my dad has got so, after that day, I didn’t stop worrying but I thought he’d make it.”
Clayton went through agony for those 51 days but admits it was even worse for his mum.
“The silent side of this disease is that I could not go round and give her a cuddle,” he told BBC Five Live.
“She only has my younger brother in the house while I’ve just got a new-born. For her, it’s been murder.
“It’s a really tough one day to day for the loved ones.”
But for Clayton and his family there was a joyous ending, with Steve being wheeled out of hospital to return to his Manchester home.
The Boro star added: “We got an idea he was leaving about an hour before and they FaceTimed mum as it was happening and then we got the videos in the next five or 10 minutes.
“After the long journey we have been on, just to see him moving, talking and on the road to recovery, it brought a tear to the eye.
“It was a good watch. I think we must have watched it about 50 times in the last four or five hours.”
With Championship clubs due to resume training soon, no footballer is better qualified to talk about Project Restart than Clayton.
And he admits he has mixed feelings about football kicking back into action with so many people still dying of the deadly virus.
“It’s a tough one,” he confessed, even though he has missed his beloved game. “Nobody wants to be out on the pitch more than me. I’ve missed football unbelievably.
“But it’s what it can do to loved ones. I don’t think the fear in football is getting it ourselves but it could still have damaging effects.
“It’s more about if I go to work and bring it back to my daughter or my dad – that is the worry I have. So I don’t really know what to do. They talk about testing every day but, ultimately, it is up to players to decide.”
The silent side of this disease is that I could not go round and give my mum a cuddle