Six-time Frankston YCW premiership star Tony Lester spent 24 days in hospital after grand final

FRANKSTON YCW footballer Tony Lester should have been celebrating his sixth premiership win. Instead he was in hospital, struggling to breathe.

Frankston YCW star Tony Lester lost almost 10kg in a serious health scare after playing in the Stonecats’ grand final win in September. Picture: Valeriu Campan

FRANKSTON YCW footballer Tony Lester should have been celebrating his sixth premiership win.

Instead, he was hooked up to a BiPAP machine in Frankston hospital’s intensive care unit, struggling to breath and gravely ill.

The 35-year-old was last weekend finally released from hospital and reflected on “24 of the toughest and scariest days of my life”.

Just days after playing in Frankston YCW’s grand final win on September 17 (he was in the Stonecats’ best players), Lester’s health went downhill fast.

He doesn’t know why, putting it down to “just bad luck”.

Rushed to hospital, Lester spent eight days in ICU as his lung capacity fell to just five percent and doctors contemplated placing him in a medically induced coma to aid his breathing.

“It was the worst thing I’ve ever been through. It was like a form of torture,” he said.

Lester’s blood was infected with golden staph, causing acute bi lateral pneumonia and septicaemia.

He was very, very sick.

Tony Lester in hospital.

“I already had a temperature of about 40,’’ Lester said. “I was exhausted and they were like, ‘you’ve got to keep going’. I had to, otherwise the next option was the coma.”

It was especially stressful on his family, including parents Geoff and Linda.

“I was completely unaware how bad it was or what anything meant...and everyone else was stressing how close things were getting. I wasn’t really told,” Lester said.

Craig Nankervis (left) with Tony Lester and the 2017 premiership cup.

After nearly a month in hospital Lester is back home, lean after shedding almost 10kg and still on antibiotics, but on the mend.

He said the health scare had made up his mind to retire from football, bringing down the curtain on a decorated career that took in 270 games for YCW and half a dozen premierships.

“It was over anyway,’’ he said. “But this puts the full stop on it. It’s probably a way of telling me I’ve had a good run. I’ll move on.

“Your mortality has been presented in front of you and you are like, ‘you can’t keep doing that forever, let’s go and look at what else is out there’.

“I want to thank all those who messaged me or visited me in hospital.’’