By Chris Wright
He’s been keeping it quiet, but Sunderland striker Danny Graham has donated £2,000 of his own money to help cover the cost of a non-league player’s potentially career-saving surgery.
Gateshead FC midfielder JJ O’Donnell suffers from a rare condition called sesamoidtis, which causes inflammation in the bones in his toes whenever he puts any pressure on them.
Obviously, you can see howe that might present issues to a professional footballer, with doctor’s reportedly rating O’Donnell’s chances of ever kicking a ball again at 50/50.
Told that he’d have to wait at least a year to get the treatment he needs on the NHS, the 23-year-old Gateshead player was forced to go private but couldn’t afford to pay for the surgery needed to correct his condition.
“This operation is the last roll of the dice for me,” O’Donnell told the Chronicle.
“Playing football is everything to me. It’s all I have known since I was seven. It’s my life.
“Football is a good lifestyle, a privileged lifestyle but for me it’s my life. I live, breath and sleep football.
“Not being able to step onto a football pitch again would be the hardest thing ever.”
However, two young Gateshead fans, Lee Calder, 16, and Sam Jupp, 13, began an online fundraising campaign to raise the requisite £7,000 on their hero’s behalf.
“JJ is my favourite player, he got us to Wembley,” Lee explained to the Chronicle.
“I saw how much his operation would cost and thought we, as fans, could do more to help.
“It would be brilliant to see JJ back playing again. The injury is so serious, so it would be fantastic to see him back on the field.
That’s when Graham, who was born and raised in Gateshead, stepped in to top up the pot…
A massive thank you to @SunderlandAFC striker Danny Graham who has donated over £2,000 to cover the cost of JJ O'Donnell's surgery. #Legend
— Lee Calder (@newLeeCalder) May 18, 2015
As a result, the fundraising campaign total currently stands at £7,060 – mission accomplished!
Graham wrote on the JJ O’Donnell page: “Good Luck!! Hope the operation is a success.”
Hear hear!
(Via Chronicle Live)