Jack Wilshere and wife in tears as she reveals how daughter nearly died from heart problem
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Wilshere narrate how they almost lost their daughter || BBC

Jack Wilshere and wife in tears as she reveals how daughter nearly died from heart problem

Stephen Oladehinde 15:02 - 30.05.2024

Jack Wilshere and his wife narrate how they almost lost their five-year-old daughter to a heart condition.

Wilshere welcomed Siena into their family in May 2018 after getting married to partner Andriani in 2017.

At age five, Wilshere's daughter was diagnosed with a heart murmur and was advised by doctors to see a cardiologist 

A congenital heart abnormality was later identified as the cause of Siena's condition, or, as Wilshere puts it, "a hole in her heart."

Wilshere on his daughter's heart problem

Following the courageous battle of his daughter Siena, the former Arsenal player has joined the British Heart Foundation as an ambassador.

Speaking about the situation, Wilshere told BBC, "I was preparing to travel with the team, my team, for a game, like we normally do and my phone rang.”

Arsenal star Jack Wilshere || BBC
Arsenal star Jack Wilshere || BBC

Andriani then choked back tears as she added, "I remember just falling to the floor and crying, I just couldn't believe the news. It was shocking."

Asked if he thought he "might lose" his daughter, Wilshere continued, "Yeah, 100 per cent. Going into ICU and seeing your daughter there, sleeping with all these wires." 

Andriani, Jack Wilshere's wife || BBC
Andriani, Jack Wilshere's wife || BBC

Andriani added, "I just remember hearing her cry and I just burst into tears because I knew she was alright, I knew she was going to be okay, it was just the recovery."

Wilshere and Andriani had previously detected warning indications from their daughter, as confirmed by the couple.

Jack Wilshere's daughter || BBC
Jack Wilshere's daughter || BBC

Andriani said, "She was getting chest infections, tonsillitis, was on antibiotics a lot and we were in and out of the doctors room constantly.

"We were told it was exercising due to asthma because I noticed, especially at kids birthday parties or when she is on the trampoline, the more she was doing exercise, she was having coughing fits."

Jack Wilshere's family || BBC
Jack Wilshere's family || BBC

Wilshere later added, "We're really proud of what she's been through and her journey. I was a footballer and I went through a lot of surgeries and I know how hard it is to recover and these are nothing compared to what she went through as a five-year-old.

"To bounce back the way that she did... a lot of courage and I'm proud of her. There's so many warriors out there and hopefully we can give parents support, get more research into it and try to make a difference to the parents' lives and the children's."

Wilshere and Lauren Neal, his previous partner, have two children: a son named Archie, born in 2011, and a daughter named Delilah Grace, born in 2013, before getting married to Andriani.

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