Michael Owen has admitted he ‘goes to bed every night praying’ there will be a cure found for the condition which left his son James clinically blind.
The former England striker, 44, appeared on Tuesday’s episode of Good Morning Britain with James, 17, to discuss his son’s rare and incurable genetic condition.
James was diagnosed with Stargardt disease at the age of eight, forcing him to give up his dreams of becoming a professional footballer as his sight got progressively worse throughout his teenage years, leaving his ‘clinically’ blind.
Stargardt is a rare genetic condition which occurs when fatty material builds up on the macula – the small part of the retina needed for sharp, central vision. There is currently no cure.
Speaking of James’ diagnosis on GMB, Michael admitted it was a difficult time for him and his wife Louise and said they still ‘pray’ ‘every night’ for a cure to be found for the rare condition.
Michael Owen has admitted he ‘goes to bed every night praying’ there will be a cure found for the condition which left his son James clinically blind
He said: ‘As a parent, myself and my life probably felt much worse than James, you want to take all the pain away from him… but James was born that way, he doesn’t know any different.
‘I think it was quite hard for us, when we found this was an incurable disease at the moment. In this age, with stem cells… we go to bed every night praying there will be a cure for him.’
‘It’s water off a duck’s back to us, it’s just news to the world, but we’ve been living it for a long time.’
‘We just try to look at the positives. I’m a taxi driver for life and I am delighted about that. It keeps us close,’ he added.
James said: ‘I think everyone wanted to be a footballer when they were younger, especially when you’re not bad at it. He would never pressure me into it, he’s very understanding.’
‘He is a great dad, he definitely helped me through a lot of the hard times, not understanding why I am this way. It’s been a massive help and it’s made me into the person I am today, I’m a lot happier now.’
‘I’ll probably be with his friends, I’m more friends with adults nowadays to be honest.’
