A County Antrim football club has joined the drive to help a young supporter who is being treated for a rare cancer.
Kofi Blair needs a blood stem cell transplant to aid his recovery from Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
The 20-year-old, from Ballymoney, was diagnosed in September 2021 after he started developing symptoms including severe sweating and fatigue.
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These lasted a few months before a lump was discovered in Kofi's neck, and following several blood tests, CT scans, a biopsy and a PET scan, his diagnosis was confirmed.
Kofi has been receiving treatment, including immunotherapy and radiotherapy, since then, and doctors have now advised that a stem cell transplant is the next step for the football-mad 20-year-old.
A search for a blood stem cell match has been carried out within Kofi's family. His three older sisters have all been tested but unfortunately they are not compatible.
Now the search has started for an unrelated donor who may possibly save Kofi's life.
"Kofi is a massive Glebe fan, and he has also helped out with our Reserve team. So he is a big part of the club," said Glebe Rangers manager Jason Wilmont.
"He and his father go to all our games, they are big supporters of the club. They are always at our games.
"We were at the bar yesterday watching some of the games on TV and he wasn't in the best of form. But he came down to get out of the house for a couple of hours.
"I think Kofi is getting some more treatment this week, and he has good days and bad days. He is just a lovely lad, and so is his family."
Kofi's family discovered the work of DKMS and the importance of stem cell donors through their awareness of the Do it for Daniel campaign.
That initiative reached across Northern Ireland searching for potential donors, with Daniel finding his match and undergoing a successful transplant.
Now Kofi's family are hoping for a similar successful outcome.
"It's all about finding a match for Kofi, and we want to raise as much awareness as we can for him. Hopefully this helps spread the word and we can get more people signing up to the donor register," Jason added.
"Like I said, Kofi and his family are big supporters of the club. He rarely misses a game, and he regularly watches the first team and reserve team.
"That takes up most of his Saturdays. He looks forward to a game at the weekend.
"We would just urge everyone to sign up to the register and help in any way you can. It would mean a lot to Kofi and his family, and Glebe Rangers as well."
Glebe Rangers have shown their support to Kofi by having '#KofiBlair' and 'Let's Beat Cancer Together' printed on the back of their jerseys.
"It's on every Glebe kit, home and away. And it is the first and reserve teams who have it on their jerseys," Jason said.
"We got that done to support Kofi. Ballymoney is a close-knit community, and when it comes to something like this we support each other."
Anyone looking more info on Kofi's blood stem cell donor page can check it out HERE
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