Lee Carsley was preparing to play for Everton’s reserves on a Monday night in 2004 when he received a troubled call from Kevin Kilbane. His teammate had learned that his newborn daughter had Down’s syndome, the same condition as Carsley’s son Connor, and immediately reached out to his friend.
“Once he’d heard the news, he couldn’t play that evening. He left the field at half-time and drove to the hospital to see me,” Kilbane said. “We sat outside, we talked and we cried. It was such an emotional moment for both of us. He communicated with me in a way that I needed because he had experienced what I was going through as a father. He was there for me and he’s always been there for me and that’s why I love him so much.”
