Michael Owen’s son, James Owen, 20, says being forced to give up his childhood goal of becoming a footballer “killed him,” after being diagnosed with Stargardt disease, a rare inherited eye condition. He has described living with clinically blind sight loss linked to the condition.
According to the reports, James was diagnosed around age eight. The outlets describe Stargardt disease as an eye disorder in which fatty waste deposits build up in the central part of the retina, affecting vision.
The coverage also includes comments attributed to Michael Owen, who says he “prays every night” for a cure. While both sources focus on the personal impact of the diagnosis and the family’s hope for treatment, they emphasize different phrasing and details about James’s decision to stop pursuing football and about his father’s reaction.
