Football club manager Lee Walker says he will never let illness dictate his life as he tackles career with Crohn's disease for almost 25 years
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
LEE Walker has tackled Crohn’s disease ever since being diagnosed with the illness as a teenager who was tipped to have a promising future in the game.
But he never let it defeat him in becoming a talented football player at Highland League level.
He went on to be a successful youth coach with Inverness Caledonian Thistle and now as manager of North Junior Super League outfit Nairn St Ninian.
Now at 41, he wants to encourage and inspire others with the same condition not to give up on their dreams, on and off the field.
Walker became a regular first team player with Nairn County when he was only 15. His talent and performances saw him attract the attention of Premiership club Motherwell, after he impressed in a friendly against them at Station Park.
But after suffering a leg break at 17, he was then soon diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel condition that causes swelling of the tissues in the digestive tract, resulting in abdominal pain, severe diarrhoea, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition.
“Then the symptoms of Crohn’s disease occurred quickly and it was really hard as a teenager, as I was thinking I still had my whole life ahead of me.After a year of being diagnosed I went down from 13 stone to seven stone. I was on the toilet constantly and being sick, I had no life and I lived in my bedroom."
Walker required an operation as a result and he says although the diagnosis would be hard to take at any age, it hit him really hard as a teenager.
He said: “When I broke my leg, I recall tackling someone and I tried to get up.
“Then I looked at the stand and somebody was being sick. I looked down and a bone came out of my leg.
“The helicopter had to land at Station Park and airlift me to hospital. I was told I would never play football again.
“Then the symptoms of Crohn’s disease occurred quickly and it was really hard as a teenager, as I was thinking I still had my whole life ahead of me.
“After a year of being diagnosed I went down from 13 stone to seven stone. I was on the toilet constantly and being sick, I had no life and I lived in my bedroom. Then I had to get my large bowel removed, it was diseased and there was nothing they could do about it. But having the operation gave my life back.”
After surgery to remove his large bowel, Walker was determined to regain an active lifestyle.
He started going out running with his dog, as well as attending the gym regularly as his strength and speed began to build up again.
He also started an apprenticeship as he looked to get his life back to normal.
Then in 2000, he received a phone call from Highland League club Rothes, where his dad Jim was the assistant manager.
The Speysiders asked him to make a return to football, an offer which he did have to think about at first.
“I remember Graham McBeath, who was the Rothes manager, asked my dad how I was getting on, but he did not know about my disease.
“He invited me to pre-season to see how I could play.
“I was desperate to test my leg to see how it was.
“I got through a few bounce games and I thought I could play football again.
“I signed for Rothes and in my first season I set myself a target of 10 games, but I played almost every game.
“After that first season, I blew all expectations and proved that I could play at Highland League.
“Playing that year I had a lot of abcesses. I was playing football with a wound that had 175 stitches, I had to keep a dressing every game.
“The specialists were amazed that I was playing.”
Despite a great first season at Rothes, Walker still had to contend with the side affects of the illness, such as tiredness. Eventually it led to him deciding to leave Rothes and take up other interests.
But when his dad became manager at Lossiemouth, he was once again convinced to get back in the game.
“My dad said Lossie needed a centre half so I signed a one-year deal. I played the first 10 games and did well.
“But then I wasn’t getting a game and I was put up for transfer. Brian Irvine asked me to play for Elgin City, but I never fancied it.“
After Walker left Lossiemouth, he was determined to stay in football and he then began his coaching career at Auldearn Primary School.
Inspired by successful results, and along with his wife Louise, Walker established Nairn Football Community Coaching, where they worked alongside Active Schools to set up the group.
After achieving success with these teams, he soon came to the attention of Inverness Caledonian Thistle and became a youth coach.
He said: “At Nairn Community Coaching, we set specific age groups on a Wednesday and Saturday. We were turning up to games and played the likes of Elgin City and Ross County and all our age groups started winning things. I was then asked to become a youth coach at Caley Thistle and worked with the head of the junior academy Arthur Jack.
“He saw what I took the table. He let me change the formation and system and went from strength to strength and we kicked on.
“We were going to Celtic and Rangers and beating these teams. The success and the opportunities I had over the years meant that I loved every second of being at Caley Thistle.“
Walker always considered becoming a manager at a club and took the opportunity to take charge of Nairn St Ninian last summer. He made a decent start to his time in charge, leading them to a mid-table position at the halfway point of the campaign.
But a flare up due to his Crohn’s disease has meant he has taken temporary leave at Saints, with his assistant Duncan Boyle in charge until his return.
Walker says Nairn St Ninian have been supportive with his condition, and he is determined to recover and return to the game he loves as soon as possible.
He said: “It is the worst flare up since I was diagnosed and it is a case of getting back to fitness again. It will take time, but I could require an operation, it depends on the medication that i’m on.
“The sad thing is at 41, I have lived with this disease longer than I haven’t. It is one of those things in life. It will take its time, I push myself to the limit, but I need to listen to my body and do what I can.
“It is not easy living with this disease, but I don’t let it dictate my life. Some days I have good days, some days I have bad days. There are days I can’t get my head off the pillow. I miss the players at the club so much at the moment, I never realised how supportive they are.
“I need these players as much as they need me. Half of the Saints boys didn’t know my condition, but they are a great group of lads. I feel helpless not being at the club. But I need to be selfish and put myself first. As soon as I am fighting fit, I will be back in the dugout.”
Walker’s advice to anyone who has Crohn’s disease is to never think football is out of the question, saying he, along with others, are proof they can kick on.
“You need to embrace things in life,” he said.
“Life is tough, everyone in life has moments where they will be tested and challenged.
“But it is a case of being strong, I never gave up hope, all I wanted was to play football and be the best I could be. Have belief, there is always light at the end of the tunnel.
“There will be dark days but ask for support. The main thing that got me through was belief and self determination. You can’t look back, you can only look forward. You can either get on with it or feel sorry for yourself, and I am not one of those guys.“
