Keep fighting, Donny!

It's the 11th minute of the match between Dinamo Auto and FC Zimbru in the Moldovan Super Liga, the top tier of Moldovan soccer. FC Zimbru has a free kick from the left side of midfield. The ball is whipped in from right to left, and Donny leaps toward the goalkeeper, trying to win the header and score. The goalkeeper rushes out and punches the ball clear of the penalty area, but Donny, with his eyes fixed on the ball, accidentally grazes the goalkeeper's shoulder in midair. He falls to the ground and appears to be unconscious. The players rush to Donny and call for the doctors, who enter the field to provide medical attention. Donny is still lying motionless on the ground. The seriousness of the situation is clear on the players' faces; they look deeply worried, with their hands on their heads. After being taken off the field, he is rushed to the nearest hospital. On August 6, Donny falls into a coma.

Born on March 29, 1995, Donny van Iperen is a Dutch soccer player who began his career with AZ Alkmaar's youth team before joining SC Telstar's senior team in the Dutch second division. He then went on to play for Go Ahead Eagles in the Eredivisie, followed by another short stint in Greece, and finally for FC Zimbru in the top tier of Moldovan soccer, where his terrible accident took place. Six days after being hospitalized in Moldova, he was transferred to the Netherlands for further treatment.

Donny has still not fully recovered from the coma, but about a month after his accident, he is slowly becoming more responsive. First a wink, then a pinch, and then the answer “yes” to one of the nurses' questions. Despite these improvements, Donny suffers from a disorder of consciousness due to damage to the thalamus, a ‘relay station’ for all incoming motor and sensory information from the body to the brain.

Donny's family is convinced that he will eventually be able to overcome this enormous challenge and have the opportunity to live life to the fullest of his abilities. For that to happen, though, Donny will have to go through a very complicated recovery and rehabilitation process. This process will be quite expensive, and because this tragedy happened in the middle of Donny's soccer career, his family does not have enough funds to cover the costs while maintaining a normal life.

AZ Alkmaar has decided to raise funds to help Donny's family. They are auctioning off the game-worn and signed jerseys from their match against Feyenoord. To raise additional funds and do its part, Feyenoord has decided to donate its own game-worn and signed jerseys to AZ Alkmaar, and they are also up for auction.

If you want to support Donny and the van Iperen family, go to the “AZ Alkmaar & Feyenoord | for Donny van Iperen” auction page and get yourself a game-worn, signed piece of soccer history.