Tuesday 5 September 2017 10:35, UK
Wolverhampton Wanderers will not be playing host to any football this weekend but the international break at Molineux is being marked with a Cure Leukaemia charity fundraiser in support of Wolves' much-loved goalkeeper Carl Ikeme.
The 31-year-old was diagnosed with acute leukaemia after a routine blood test during pre-season training and the response from the club and the wider football community has overwhelmed the player.
"It has made a big difference to me to have received messages from so many people, not only at Wolves but all the football family," Ikeme says. "I just want to thank everyone for their ongoing love and support as I continue to receive treatment."
Ikeme's plight has touched the hearts of everyone at Wolves, where he has stacked up nearly 15 years' service. Former keeper turned Soccer Saturday pundit Matt Murray was helping the club to promotion to the Premier League during the 2002/03 season when Ikeme joined the squad as a first-year apprentice.
"He never missed a day of training and had such a good work ethic. He was a really quick learner who became a great technician in goal as well as an amazing athlete. He's a great pro, someone I've always kept in contact with since I left." Murray recalls.
"I was devastated when I found out, I had just got off a flight in Madrid and we'd spent some time together in the summer. We'd done a gym session and been chatting about holidays. It was a real shock and I just thought of all his family and everything that he must have been going through."
Murray has been able to spend some time with Ikeme during his treatment and praises his former team-mate's strength of character.
"He is a quiet, shy lad, but he kills you with one-liners. Joe Hart came with me to see him recently and it was like being back in the dressing room with the banter flying around. It was great seeing him. It's obviously scary but he knows it's a long road, he's up for a fight and I think mentally that's the big battle, but he'll be doing everything he can to win it. He is as brave as a lion, and the tactics board in the Wolves dressing room can vouch for that."
That mischievous remark is a reference to the occasion when Ikeme punched the aforementioned item during a half-time team talk a couple of seasons ago. It only caused him to miss a couple of months with a hand injury, whereas the tactics board never worked again.
Saturday's fundraiser is the brainchild of 'They Wore The Shirt' author Steve Plant, who also organised a 24-hour penalty marathon at Molineux ahead of the first league game of the season against Middlesbrough.
"Saturday is a family fun day, kicking off at midday and going through til 6pm at the WV1 bar in the Stan Cullis Stand. Former players Kenny Hibbitt, Steve Daley, John Richards, Phil Parkes, Mel Eves, Garry Pierce, Andy Thompson, Andy Mutch and Sam Ricketts are coming along," Plant explains.
"Fans can pay on the door, it's just £5 for adults and £2 for kids. We also have sponsored head shaves, chest waxes, tombola, memorabilia and shirt auction plus a large lego Molineux Stadium being raffled. The support for Carl has been nothing short of exceptional. We have been sent shirts, signed balls, gloves and more from all around the country to auction."
Cure Leukaemia chief executive James McLaughlin is hugely appreciative of the supporters' efforts, with all funds raised going towards expanding the Centre of Haematology in Birmingham.
"They have simply been amazing and I would like to thank every one of them for their phenomenal support of Carl and Cure Leukaemia," McLaughlin adds. "I wrote to Laurie Dalrymple [Wolves' managing director] to say what a fantastic club Wolves have been all the way since Carl's news. I hope it shows everyone the good that football can play in people's lives."
Even one of the club's former shirt sponsors from several years ago, What House, got back in touch and asked if they could sponsor Saturday's event.
"It's a horrible disease that can happen at any time to anyone no matter how fit they are," McLaughlin said. "People still don't really think of leukaemia as a cancer and I think both Stiliyan Petrov and Carl's examples have made more people realise that this is not simply a short-term illness.
"The importance of getting a blood test if feeling unwell is key to ensure an early diagnosis as possible, so in Carl's case he could begin treatment as quickly as possible. There is some amazing progress being made with treatments. The clinicians just need to find ways of accelerating access to those new treatments to ensure a cure can be found as soon as possible."
Ikeme's fight will be a long one, but he wants to get involved with the campaign too. "I am also keen to try and raise awareness of the need for more bone marrow donors to come forward and I'm hoping to announce more information on this in the coming weeks," he says.
So far, Wolves supporters have raised over £13,500 for the charity, with Saturday's fundraiser set to add several thousand more to the total.
