Three months into her first season at Burnley FC Women, Aimee Kelly had a routine blood test as part of the club’s fitness checks.
A few weeks later, Kelly received a phone call and was asked to visit the hospital. Results revealed she had a prolactin tumour very close to her right eye.
The 22-year-old striker, who played for Liverpool and Everton at academy level and made her senior debut for the latter, was informed that while treatment took place, she would not be able to exercise at all.
In an instant, her whole footballing world changed and it brought an abrupt halt to her 2022-23 campaign where she had scored four goals in five appearances.
“Maybe at the start, for a day or two, I wondered if it could mean I wouldn’t play again,” Kelly tells The Athletic. “It was the hardest news I’ve ever had, but I’m quite laid-back, so after the initial shock I just thought I had to get on with it. I trusted the doctors to make the right decisions for me.”
Prolactinoma is a noncancerous tumour of the pituitary gland, which is located at the base of the brain. It causes the pituitary gland to make too much of a hormone called prolactin and decreases the levels of hormones including estrogen and testosterone, among other problems.
Treatment varies depending on the severity and size of the tumour. Chemotherapy to shrink it or an operation to remove it were potential options. Before they were properly considered, Kelly was given a tablet to take once a week alongside regular MRI scans during hospital checks. There were also consultations with an eye specialist and club doctor, Danny Glover, who has since departed the club, was kept in the loop.
Kelly has always been active, but suddenly she was without football for the first time in her life. For somebody who always “wants to be busy”, there was a huge hole to fill.
Feelings of boredom and frustration crept in. Her attempts to make her mark at Burnley as she attempted to build a senior career had suffered a serious blow.
“If I’d carried on, the tumour could have got bigger or started bleeding, which would have been dangerous.”
The club, who train three times a week, attempted to keep her involved. The coaching staff suggested Kelly continue to make the hour trip from Liverpool to the training ground to watch her team-mates, sometimes acting as a ballgirl.
“I couldn’t do anything physical,” explains Kelly. “I couldn’t even go to the gym, lift weights. I couldn’t jog, so I was just spending time with family and friends. The manager wanted me at the training ground and the girls kept me going. It was good to feel part of it.”
“You just want to be on the pitch playing. I had to respect the plan because health is the most important thing. If I’d carried on, the tumour could have got bigger or started bleeding, which would have been dangerous.”
She continued to work, with Kelly employed full-time in a special needs school, supporting people with autism. Even that came with guidance to avoid any knocks to the head.
The tablets triggered a positive response and the tumour began to shrink. Her dosage was then upped to two tablets a week, which she continues to take.
“The mental battle was the hardest thing,” says Kelly. “Watching the girls play and I couldn’t even kick a ball. I had to just soldier through. Thankfully, the news was largely positive, so I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
It was a long road to recovery. When given the all-clear after four months to resume physical activity, Kelly had to begin building her fitness via an intense training programme. It took a further three months. There was no head contact initially — one of the symptoms was Kelly developing headaches five or six times a day, so that had to be managed — and the former England youth international was understandably tentative.
“Our physio (Eve Parkinson) looked after me,” says Kelly. “One day I would be in the gym, the next running and then eventually I had the ball at my feet again. I worked so hard and slowly I was introduced into non-contact training, then full contact, and finally I could build my match fitness.”
She marked her return in perfect style, scoring in the 9-0 victory in the Lancashire FA Senior Cup final against Darwen FC Ladies in April 2023. “It was the perfect game to come back. To score, to win the cup, it was just positive vibes that day,” says Kelly.
The seven-month layoff and continuous road to recovery, however, meant Kelly missed the opportunity to play at Turf Moor later that month.
It was the first time the women’s team had played at Burnley’s home ground and they did so in front of a crowd of 3,000.
It has served as extra motivation ahead of this weekend’s fixture when the women’s side return to Turf Moor, welcoming the same opponents as last season, Liverpool Feds.
Kelly, who now feels free from any effects of the tumour, has been in good form, scoring 12 goals in all competitions. It’s a tally she would love to add to at Turf Moor.
“It’s very exciting,” she says. “Missing it drives me even more and probably excites me more than the other girls. Last season was a long, hard season, but it motivated me and I’ve come back fitter and stronger.”
It has been another encouraging campaign for Burnley. After a third-place finish last season, they are battling with Nottingham Forest for second spot behind runaway leaders Newcastle. They have 45 points, one more than Forest, but Burnley have played a game more.
Under the guidance of Rebecca Sawiuk, who was appointed in the summer, Burnley continue to make positive strides towards their aims of turning professional and earning promotion to the Women’s Championship.
Kelly believes it can be achieved in the next few years. Owners ALK Capital remain invested in the team’s progression, a focus since their arrival in 2020, and are regular attendees at matches.
“I feel personally my confidence from last year to this year has just massively improved,” says Kelly. “It is why my performances have been better and more consistent. That’s down to me and the management trusting me. The new management team, the new players coming in — we’ve all bonded very well, which is a big part of success.”
(Top image: Burnley FC)
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