A female referee almost died after being hit by a football she thought had 'just winded her'.
Ella Squires, from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, suffered a life-threatening incident when she was refereeing at the Norway Cup in Oslo in August last year.
After the 19-year-old was hit in the stomach by a football from less than 10 yards out, she immediately felt an unexpected amount of pain.
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Initially passing it as just being winded, the referee of three years was unable to finish the match and was subsequently taken to hospital.
Doctors informed Ella that she had fractured a rib soon after she collapsed in the ward.
She said: "I was refereeing and ended up getting a football to the abdomen.
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"I got through the remaining 20 minutes and came off crying. I was in so much pain. I didn't know what I'd done.
"I thought I'd just been winded but the pain wasn't going away. It felt like I couldn't breathe.
"The medical tent said I've probably fractured a rib or just been badly winded. I was told to just get on with it and I'll be alright.
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"I went back to where we were staying and started getting all hot and dizzy. I couldn't even sit up without feeling like I was going to faint."
Ella was told she had suffered a grade-3 splenic injury and had to undergo life-saving surgery to treat her ruptured spleen.
After five nights in hospital, Ella's health improved and she was discharged but was unable to referee for three months.
She added: "At the time I wasn't really with it. It was only after, when I had to have three blood transfers, that they said to me 'if you had left it only another hour, you wouldn't be here'.
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"That's when I realised I was close to death. I look back and think I can't believe it happened and so thankful.
"I believe everything happened for a reason. It made me so much more grateful for life and take each day as it comes.
"I could've easily died that day if I'd taken the first hospital's advice and not waken up that morning."
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Ella's dad is taking part in a charity cycle ride from London to Oslo to raise money for the hospital that saved Ella's life.
To make a donation, here is the GoFundMe
A spokesperson from the Norway Cup said: "We are sorry about Ella's incident during Norway Cup last year. She was hit by a ball at close range, experiencing immediate pain. She continued the match as referee, but the pain persisted. Later, our Medical team assessed her condition, concluding that it was minor. However, during a pizza evening, she collapsed, prompting our Medical team to transport her to Oslo University Hospital. Another British referee, acting as her mentor, accompanied her throughout. The hospital staff considered her situation serious, with potentially fatal consequences if left untreated. She remained in the hospital for a week after the tournament.
"We are deeply sorry that our highly qualified medical team on-site didn't spot the severity of her illness, and we are very happy that Ella made it to the hospital, and that it all went well. We hope that she has recovered well, and is still an acting referee."
Anish Vij