Lewis Hardcastle

[behind the goals]

Very sad news for Lewis all the very best for the future will always be welcome back at Holker Street, we all thank you for helping us in our promotion season, Good luck Lewis and to your family.

[Steeley]

Awfully sad and a big loss to our team. Great player.

Hopefully something can be arranged when fans are in and we can give something back to him. I'm sure the club will be onto it.

[Mark Johnson]

So sad for such a promising player. Will always be thanked by fans for helping us get back in to in to the Football League.

He's been captain, so he must have some good leadership attributes. Maybe a successful career in coaching / management awaits. Good luck for whatever comes next Lewis

[Cokey]

From Lewis’s Twitter account:

[jaycarter]

I think you will find the P.F.A. have a scheme that compensates for players losing their lively hoods, never the less we should try to do something for him at Barrow.

[April1972]

Gutted for Lewis.
My favourite player of past few seasons.
Good luck for the future Lewis and let’s be glad that you found out the way you did.
Definitely needs to be a game organised for you at Holker Street.

[Ace]

One of my favourite players in the best Barrow team I've seen.
Absolutely gutted for the lad.

[Pedro]

Football pales into insignificance, good they found it and can get the care needed.
All the best.

[Jonty]

Gutting for the lad and really sorry his career has had to end, but health comes first and some good level headed words penned by Lewis in his twitter post.. Like everyone else, can only say thanks Lewis for your part in the most memorable of seasons and wish him well for the future.

[Jeeby]

Gutted for you Lewis, top lad, top player, but equally as pleased that it was caught in time for you. I'm sure you have a bright future in the game in some capacity, once a Bluebird, always a Bluebird.

[liverpoolann]

Very sad news indeed.All the best for the future Lewis you go down in folklore as part of winning team to get us back in the league.Always welcome Holker Street.Not the end but a new beginning hopefully still football related awaits you.
something must be done to assist whether proceeds from pre season friendly
Or crowd funding or even Russ raffle.

[stub]

Don’t know if it would be needed or not but is there an option to set something up to support Lewis such as a crowdfunded/just giving.

If so would people be keen to contribute?

im in

[Hadrian]

I am sure many would. The club statement perhaps suggests something may be being planned in the coming weeks?

[Suffolk Blue]

I was afraid it might be Cardio Myopathy. That being the case Lewis has no option but to stop playing immediately.

For the uninitiated the condition is essentially one where there is an abnormality in the structure of the heart muscle I think mainly associated with a thickening of the tissue. This means that when the heart beats the normal pattern of electrical impulses that creates the functioning of the heart is disturbed (Arrhythmia). This imbalance increases with physical activity and at some point the heart can just stop. You may remember the case of Patrice Muamba who collapsed on the pitch with this condition and was only saved by the actions of doctors and a surgeon who were attending the game. He was incredibly lucky. Had this not been diagnosed Lewis could have suffered the same fate and God forbid on the pitch.

This is (probably) a congenital condition and you cant deal with it via surgery. The ICD referred to ensures that if the heart does stop for a very short period then a set of electrical impulses are sent by the device to keep it going.

I say all of this with real sadness as I've had experience of this twenty years ago whilst playing a game of football. In fact the game was nothing more than a weekly kick about. During the game a friend and colleague went up to head a ball. No player contact and just collapsed. Couldn't be revived by CPR. A doctor said afterwards that he had died almost before hit hit the floor. Here one moment. Gone the next. 39 years old and two young kids. And that was the first time I heard the term Cardio Myopathy.

I'm so glad that they've detected it. This is a potential tragedy avoided. With careful management Lewis should be able to live a reasonably normal life. And it puts the importance of the game into its proper context.

[Barrowabc]

As a lot of already stated one of my favorite players, I agree fully barrow v Blackburn both first teams for Lewis, thank you for all you have done for us, going to be a top coach /manager next evo, thank you and you’re a fighter so don’t change,,