Footballer Adam Dodd made his return to football just seven months on from nearly losing his life following a cardiac arrest.
The 29-year-old footballer plays for FC United of Manchester in the seventh tier of the footballing pyramid, but his days on the pitch were nearly cut short after a terrifying near miss last June.
The Kirkham-born left-back and his girlfriend Kat went to bed as normal on 3 June, 2022, but she woke up hours later “to the sounds of me in cardiac arrest”, as Dodd puts it.
After performing CPR for a terrifying 16 minutes straight and receiving a total of four defibrillator shocks, Dodd was rushed to hospital and fitted with a life-saving ICD (Implantable Cardioverter Defib).
While paramedics admitted at the time that his chances looked slim, he woke up from a coma just four days later and has now managed to make a full comeback, not only returning to training and being restored to the squad but even featuring as a substitute earlier this month. Simply incredible.
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🙌 Doddy's back!
He's fought huge three battles and now rejoins the squad for the Whitby game, looking to make his 100th appearance on Saturday
He tells his story here and pays tribute to everyone who got him to this point https://t.co/rWN8RhKdmD
Having been subbed on in a landmark 100th appearance for the Manchester United phoenix club’s games against Whitby Town, Dodd received a rousing reception from fans of both teams, playing 20 minutes to see out the 2-2 draw.
Speaking in an interview with the MEN, ‘Doddy’ explained the various aspects of his recovery, contracting pneumonia and developing pleurisy while in hospital, which he described as “probably the worst two weeks of my life.”
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Even after returning home, he detailed how he “was waking up trying to catch [his] breath… in a pool of sweat” and enduring pain akin to “drowning and being stabbed in the back at the same time”.
Having been fitted with the same device as the likes of Christian Eriksen and Daley Blind – who both collapsed following a cardiac arrest while still on the pitch – Dodd received a signed shirt from the midfielder back in November when he first returned to Broadhurst Park.
☺️ We had a very special guest at Broadhurst Park today as Adam 'Doddy' Dodd came to the game today, & he was presented with an FC shirt by manager Neil Reynolds, inscribed with the message
"To Adam, don't ever give up, Christian Eriksen" and signed
Dodd lost three stone while in hospital, suffering a broken rib and sternum following the intense period of CPR, meaning that he had to rebuild significant muscle mass on top of his normal period of recovery to stand a chance of playing football again.
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Nevertheless, he spent the rest of 2022 aiming to get back on the pitch in the New Year. Just seven days into January and the self-employed plumber achieved his goal and now, despite FC United’s most recent game being called off over the weekend, he is now back in contention for matchday squads.
Featured Image — FC United of Manchester (via Twitter)
News
First look at Albert Square as Manchester Christmas Markets return to their spiritual home
Thomas Melia
Manchester Christmas Markets are back and all our Christmas wishes have come true, as its spiritual home Albert Square joins in on the festivities for the first time in six years.
Grab a mulled wine, toast yourself a marshmallow and take a seat, because we’re going to take you on a quick tour of this brand-new offering.
You’ll be able to tick off your Christmas Markets wish list in one place, as Manchester has got all your usual favourites and so much more taking place right here outside of its iconic Town Hall.
As soon as you walk in you’re greeted by a huge sign spelling out the city’s iconic abbreviation ‘MCR’, just in case you forgot where you were, that also doubles as a nice photo opportunity.
Albert Square in Manchester city centre is getting into the Christmas spirit for the first time in six years / Credit: The Manc Group
As you walk into Albert Square there’s a mix of nostalgic wooden huts and brightly coloured modern street food vendor stations waiting to tempt you with all their tasty treats.
There’s no messing around at this Christmas hotspot because not even 10 feet after you enter, you can warm up with a glühwein and bratwurst, yes please.
Think you’re done sampling some festive feasts? Think again as there’s a marshmallow toasting station, a roasted chestnut cart and lots of huts are offering their own hot chocolate creations.
Local street food vendor Rita’s Reign has made her mark in Albert Square too, serving up her foodie feasts with a seasonal spin such as the ‘Festive Feast’ and ‘Christmas Crunch’ combo boxes.
Rita’s Reign is just one of many food vendors at Manchester Christmas Markets / Credit: The Manc Group
As you keep making your way round there’s some lovely gifts and trinkets to browse including tree decorations, ornaments and some vibrant pieces of art.
There’s plenty of ways to keep the kids (and big kids) entertained with some carnival-themed games and stalls as well as a vintage carousel, if that doesn’t get you in the Christmas spirit what else will?
Of course, there’s even more food to mention like mini dutch pancakes, toasted sandwiches, French toast, the list is endless (Much like many of our Christmas lists).
And we couldn’t finish our visit without acknowledging the elephant in the room, also known as The Manchester Big Wheel, which is the perfect people-watching spot, but maybe hop on this ride before you try all the tasty treats mentioned above.
Drivers warned of ‘bad habit’ that could land them with £1,000 fines this winter
Emily Sergeant
Drivers are being warned of a ‘bad habit’ on the roads that could seem them hit with hefty fines as winter rolls around.
Once the temperatures drop, and the days get shorter and darker, fog tends to become a more common weather occurrence around this time of year – but an eye-opening new survey has found that most drivers don’t really how to use their fog lights correctly.
According to guidance from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), fog lights should only be used on British roads when visibility drops below 100 metres, yet the new research by eBay has found that 60% of drivers use their fog lights at the wrong times, and what’s more is that one in 10 say they switch on their fog lights when visibility is less than 300 metres.
48% of drivers who took part in the research admitted that they activate full-beam headlights when it’s dark, regardless of oncoming traffic and other road users.
Drivers are being warned of a ‘bad habit’ that could land them with £1,000 fines this winter / Credit: Nabeel Syed (via Unsplash)
The RAC says these stats reveal a ‘worrying trend’ among motorists, and have warned that these habits could actually means drivers are risking fines of up to £1,000 and three penalty points on their licence.
If the incorrect usage of fog lights wasn’t bad enough as it is, the new research also found that many Brits say they do not stay on-top of regular car maintenance when it comes to car fog lights, either – with just 15% saying they check them every month, and shockingly, 24% stating they’ve never checked them before.
Due to the ongoing issue of headlight glare, in whatever form that may be, The RAC has found that as many as one in four drivers (25%) who find headlights ‘too bright’ are actually driving less as a result.
“Unfortunately for a lot of drivers, the annual onset of darker evenings coincides with another unwelcome arrival – that of overly-bright headlights that they believe make driving more difficult due to dazzle and discomfort,” explained Rod Dennis, who is the Senior Policy Officer at the RAC.
“While most of us have no choice other than to adapt to driving at night more often as the clocks go back, the fact headlight glare is the leading cause of nervousness underlines it’s a problem that needs tackling.
“At the same time, it’s important to remember that brighter headlights can give drivers a better view of the road ahead, so there’s a balance to be struck.”
Danny Jones -
24th January 2023 
