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More on KentOnline
A promising footballer with dreams of playing professionally has been left paralysed from the waist down after falling from a cliff and breaking his back.
Young Frazer Jardine suffered life-changing injuries when he slipped along some rocks on the seafront in Ramsgate last Tuesday, before landing about 25ft below.
Paramedics and an air ambulance were called at about 9.10pm to the scene near Pegwell Road, from which the 17-year-old was rushed to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.
The former Hartsdown Academy pupil was found to have broken his back in two places, broken a hand and severed his spinal cord – as doctors told him it is likely he will never be able to walk again.
Sister Yasmine Jardine told KentOnline: “We were devastated, but also so, so glad that he was alive.
“He’s devastated about not being able to play sport. He wanted to be a footballer.
“He can’t feel anything in his legs at all, but the doctors said he’ll be able to sit up and stuff like that. There are no brain injuries – which is incredible.”
Frazer, who lives in Margate, was having a day out at the beach with a number of friends when the accident happened.
Yasmine says a backpack filled with towels and clothes that he was wearing at the time of the fall helped to cushion his fall and potentially save his life.
“By the sounds of it, that saved him,” she added.
“Frazer and his friends went over a railing and then he stepped onto one of the rocks, slipped and fell. He wasn’t intoxicated at all.
“Someone said he fell 20ft, someone else said 25t and another 30ft – we have no idea how far he fell.”
“Every aspect of his life is going to be different now...”
The teenager – who is conscious – was later moved to King’s College Hospital in London, where he has undergone surgery on his back.
He is expected to be transferred to a specialist unit at Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire.
Prior to the devastating accident last week, Frazer had been playing football for Whitstable Town’s academy.
He was due to have a trial with a Spanish club later this year – but the schoolboy’s injuries have left his dreams in tatters.
“The doctors are pretty certain that he will be paralysed from the waist down. They’ve told my parents that it’s going to be a really long journey for him,” Yasmine continued.
“The injuries mean he won’t be able to play sport any more – that’s completely off the cards.
“Every aspect of his life is going to be different now.”
Yasmine has launched a fundraiser to help her parents pay for their train fares from Margate to King’s College Hospital and to also go towards making their home wheelchair accessible.
In a post sharing the GoFundMe page, Whitstable Town coach Josh Algar described the youngster as a "hardworking and valued player".
He wrote: "On Wednesday, I received the news that one of our Whitstable Town Academy players Frazer Jardine, a hard-working and valued player, was involved in a tragic accident that has resulted in serious life-changing injuries.
"We are all deeply saddened about this news and are doing everything we can to support Frazer at this incredibly difficult time."
Meanwhile, teachers from Hartsdown Academy said: "We have had the incredibly sad news that Frazer, a student from last year, has been involved in a serious accident.
"He is currently in hospital and is likely to be paralysed. This is obviously incredibly hard for Frazer and his family."
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