Jake Sheppard Pictures: CLARE HOMER Ref: 76603-18A SCHOOLBOY who collapsed with brain clots after being injured during a rugby match has vowed to return to playing sport.

Jake Sheppard, 16, spent two weeks in the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford after surgeons operated to remove two potentially fatal blood clots from his brain.

A keen sportsman, he plays rugby for the Swindon Rugby Club's under-16 team and boxes for the Walcot Amateur Boxing Club but his injuries will mean he must give up boxing and possibly rugby.

Despite this he is positive about his future: "I'm determined to get back to doing sports. I am going to try other sports like basketball and football.

"It's shame I can't go back to school because I wanted to see all my mates.

"But they are all going to come and visit me.

"It was great to get home especially because the hospital food was so horrible."

Now back at home in Haigh Close, Upper Stratton, with mum Fay, a childminder; dad Steve, a project manager and brother Jordan, 14, it will take him months to fully recover.

Fay said: "Steve and I are just absolutely elated he's home and that's all that matters. I keep telling him over and over again how proud I am that he has recovered so quickly.

"It will take a long time before he is completely back to normal but he's getting there."

Jake won't be able to return to Kingsdown School to do his GCSEs exams but hopes to take up a place at Cirencester College in September to study to be a PE teacher.

He collapsed while out jogging a day after being kneed in the head during a rugby match when it was believed his injuries were caused.

She describes the moment when she and Steve were told that Jake had blood clots on the brain as an absolute nightmare.

"When we took Jake to hospital after he collapsed we just thought he was concussed. They did a brain scan on him then a doctor came in and said 'I'm afraid it's bad news'.

"When we heard we were absolutely beside ourselves it was just beyond belief.

"I kept saying over and over again 'is he going to be all right?'.

"The doctors just said they didn't know because he was so ill.

"I just couldn't face thinking of the possibilities."

Jake was put under general anaesthetic and taken to hospital in Oxford for emergency surgery. There his parents faced an agonising wait as surgeons discovered two blood clots and had to perform a second operation.

Fay said: "The wait was absolute hell.

"You just can't describe how you feel in that situation.

"After the first operation he wouldn't come round and kept thrashing around which is when they found the second blood clot.

"Our son Jordan was with us the whole time and he was wonderful he was really strong and he kept us together."

Jake woke up with 81 staples in his head, which had swelled to twice its normal size.

Fay said: "The first things he said was 'hello mum, hello dad, hello Jordan'.

"Then out of the blue he said 'I don't think I'll be doing boxing anymore'.

"It was just so wonderful that he was speaking to us and he knew who we were."

Doctors say they don't how long it will take before Jake recovers fully and he currently has no peripheral vision to his right side.

He also suffers pain where the surgery was carried out so has to take painkillers when needed.

Diana Milne