To the delight of Manchester United fans, defender Millie Turner has returned to training after spending six months sidelined by injury.
Really proud to be able to raise some awareness around the signs and symptoms of an injury like this.
I am back, healthy and ready to go again.
Thank you to the staff, my teammates and my friends and family for helping me get back to what I love doing the most ⚽️❤️ https://t.co/68NskAlB1M
— Millie Turner (@MillieTurner_) July 24, 2022
Turner was an integral part of Marc Skinner’s starting line up, and Casey Stoney’s before that but in a worrying turn of events, Turner couldn’t even train with the squad due to a rare condition known as a carotid artery dissection.
In an exclusive interview with the club, Turner opened up about her recovery and hopes to raise awareness of the condition.
Turner recalled when symptoms first began. “It started with a – I could hear a heartbeat in my ear,” she said. “And I thought ‘what’s that?’ Like it’s just getting on my nerves. So, I mentioned it to the doctor. He said ‘right let’s keep an eye on it. We’ll make sure that we keep checking it and if it gets any worse let me know.’”
At the time the Reds were preparing to face West Ham in the WSL but little did she know that one of the main arteries from her heart to her brain had torn.
With the game called off, United decided to hold an in-house friendly which was when Turner’s symptoms got worse and she realised something was very wrong.
“My speech was slurring a little bit, the heartbeat in my ear was getting a lot worse and then yeah, I just couldn’t really focus, and I thought ‘something’s not right here’ and I told the doctor straight away.”
With the help of United’s quick thinking medical staff, Turner got the tests she needed for a quick diagnosis.
“He booked me in for a load of other tests and yeah literally the next day after that, I found out that I had this injury.”
The 26 year old had to stop all physical activity immediately but was able to make a full recovery.
As she begins pre-season training with the rest of the United squad, Turner wants to raise awareness so that other people can spot the signs and symptoms early on like she did.
“I want to use this opportunity to try and raise as much awareness as I can so if anyone feels any sort of symptoms [or] if you recognise that a family member is presenting any of these symptoms. I think it is so important to just try and get any help that you can.
“With this condition, there’s a very high chance that you can have a stroke. So it’s obviously very serious and that’s why I want to use this opportunity to raise as much awareness as I can.”
Turner will hope to work her way back into the starting eleven and be an integral part of United’s back line once again. For now, she is grateful that she has the opportunity to get back out there to train.
