Chris Turner

Full name: Christopher James Turner
Date of birth: 3 April 1951
Date of diagnosis: 2006 (aged 55)
Diagnosis: Frontal Lobe Dementia
Date of death: 27 April 2015 (aged 64)
Occupation: Professional Footballer
Position: Defender

Chris Turner was a defender for Peterborough United from 1966-1977, and later played for Luton, Cambridge United, Swindon and Southend before retiring in 1984.

I remember only too well the horrible day we were told that my man had frontal lobe dementia from heading footballs. He knew there was something wrong with him, he had told his friend that something was happening to him but he didn’t know what it was. People used to tell me I was imaging it – that he was alright, just a bit forgetful.

Chris used to be a funny, caring, very loving and kind person. Suddenly, he didn’t know what he was doing and he rarely spoke. The hardest thing was the disease was making Chris very aggressive, even towards me, his wife. It was all so sad. Before he was always telling me I looked nice, never going out of the house without kissing me goodbye. I miss that, I always will. 

To put my man into a care home was the hardest thing I have ever had to do, but I was told I couldn’t have him at home anymore. He didn’t know what he was doing. Every day I go to see my man, I hold his hand, I cuddle him and I talk to him. I don’t think he takes any notice of what I am saying but I sit beside him and rabbit on. Does he know me? For the last 7 years I have sat and watched my man slowly die. 

Chris is deteriorating rapidly. He can’t walk. He has lost the ability to swallow so now all his food is puréed. But when he opens his lovely brown eyes he’s still my world. Thank goodness the care home he is in is great. I know that he is always clean and looked after, they love him too. It is still difficult to believe that someone so fit and strong would end up like this as a result of playing the game he loved.

Lynne Turner