"He would say 'yes, heading a football all those years probably hasn't helped'. I remember coming home from school and Dad would be in bed. Or having a lie down. He would say he's been having headaches. I remember thinking 'why are you having headaches?'"
"He struggled with his swallowing and that continued for many years. His balance was very, very off and his personality started to change. My dad was very outgoing - dinners, part of the after-dinner circuit. He became off, which wasn't really my dad."
"He just wouldn't really know what year it was or what day it was. He was very active and trying to do crosswords and watch football. He lost the ability to write. He couldn't make a cup of tea. He got confused about what went where. He kept saying, 'there's something not right in my head'."
Gordon McQueen, a former centre-back with almost 350 appearances for St Mirren, Leeds and Manchester United between 1970 and 1985, was diagnosed with vascular dementia and died in 2023 aged 70. His daughter attributed his dementia in part to heading a football repeatedly during his career. Symptoms included headaches, dysphagia, severe balance problems, personality change, loss of writing ability, confusion and difficulty with everyday tasks. The family noticed marked deterioration after his 60th birthday. The inquest into his death opened in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, and the family discussed possible links with repetitive head impacts.
Read at www.bbc.com
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