Heartbroken parents of 20-year-old Northampton amateur footballer bravely speak out on anniversary of son's death

The parents of a 20-year-old Northampton amateur footballer have spoken out on the anniversary of their son’s tragic death.

Luke Abrahams, from East Hunsbury, tragically died on the operating table at Northampton General Hospital (NGH) on January 23, 2023, after complaining of a ‘sore throat’ a week before.

Luke’s heartbroken parents have bravely spoken out on the first anniversary of his death.

Mum Julie Needham said: “A year has passed since Luke died yet it seems like yesterday.

“Unfortunately, the whole events of that week will never leave me and when my Lukey died the morning of January 23, 2023 so did a piece of me.

“I wake up every morning thinking it’s a dream and then it hits me it’s not.

“All the firsts have been extremely hard: birthdays, mother and Father's Day, Christmas.

“Life will never be the same; our home is not the same without Lukey here and we are no longer a complete family; it’s destroyed us.

"We miss and love him every second of every day.

“All we can do now is make people aware of the bacterial infections and keep Luke’s legacy alive and raise money for these charities.

“Jake (Luke’s younger brother) has created a GoFundMe for necrotising fasciitis and sepsis for the charity match in June 22.

“I am so proud of Jake; he has done so much throughout the year to make his brother proud.

“His life has completely changed and I can’t thank the Hawks and Luke's friends for taking care of him and being like family to him.”

Dad Richard went on to say every day is like a ‘reoccurring nightmare’.

He said: “It’s still unreal. It’s still like it was yesterday, and we still can’t believe it. We’re still grieving and hurt – our 20-year-old is not with us.

"Every day is a reoccurring nightmare. You still expect him to walk through the door, like he’s been away on holiday or been away somewhere. It’s difficult. Every day you wake up and think it can’t be real.

“You hear about it happening to other people and you think it will never happen to you. Our lives will never be the same. Everything is a three when it used to be a four.

"However, the support we’ve got has been fantastic. We couldn’t have done it without the support network.”

Asked about Luke’s younger brother Jake, Richard said: “Jake is doing really well. If he didn’t have the Hawks he probably could have gone wayward. They’ve been a brilliant support.

“Jake’s legacy to Luke was to make him proud, and that’s what he’s doing.”

A review into Luke’s death is currently ongoing and has been for many months, according to the family.

Over the weekend, around 100 people attended Hunsbury Hawks FC’s match at Abington Park to pay their respects to Luke.

Richard said: “It was fantastic. It was a touching moment for us all when Jake let the number nine balloon off. It was heart-breaking too.

"There were over a hundred people there to remember Luke and his legacy. It just goes to show just how popular he was, what a friendly person he was.

"His legacy is bringing so many people together, and a year later, we’re still together. Football has massively brought us together. Thank you to everyone for your support.”