John Stones is in a hurry.
The Manchester City defender is leading the search for a donor after learning about a four-year-old boy who desperately needs a bone marrow transplant. Dillan, whose mum is friends with Stones' partner, had been responding well to treatment after being diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of one but has now been told by doctors that an operation by October is his only hope of survival.
On hearing the news, Stones began working with blood cancer charity DKMS and attended a testing event at City's academy stadium last week to show his support. The England star hopes to be back in Pep Guardiola's squad for the next two home games - Tottenham on Saturday and Dortmund on Wednesday providing they go ahead following the death of the Queen - after missing the Champions League win over Sevilla with a minor injury, but has helped to organise a pop-up testing centre in the City Store at the Etihad where anyone can turn up and spend less than ten minutes of their time to see if they can be a potential match.
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With just three per cent of the UK population registered as potential donors, and a fraction of that number coming from minority ethnic communities, Stones and DKMS hope that the drives at the next two City home matches can help to raise awareness of the life-threatening illness and potentially find a match for Dillan and others.
"From hearing Dillan's mum speak and the facts that are difficult to hear and for it to be happening to such a young boy makes it even harder," Stones told the Manchester Evening News. "That was the initial reaction for us to try and do something and help and find a stem cell match for Dillan. That comes with hopefully finding matches for other people who are in similar situations.
"At the training ground I met a man whose brother was a match for him when he was younger and he was a survivor. There's obviously the other side of that, and there was a young mother there who had lost her baby to it and it's difficult to be in when you've just spoken to someone who is a survivor to something that's so awful to such a young child.
"There are so many people that need that help so just to get the word out and try and make people more aware is an impactful thing. I was very new to this, didn't know the process. Thankfully I do now and I'm not forcing anyone at all but I strongly encourage anyone - football fans or not - to take the test and potentially save someone else's life.
"People like Dillan are out there that need help urgently and are in a lot of pain and suffering and all the families out there are going through that same thing where they feel a bit helpless and don't have a match to save someone so the more people that can be tested the better."
Stones wishes he had used the platform that he has to promote such good causes earlier, however grateful DKMS and Dillan's family are for his help now. But, aged 28 now, the footballer has reached a point in his career and personal life where he feels balanced enough to be able to start doing more.
Life at an elite football club, particularly one with a manager as demanding as Pep Guardiola, can be all-consuming and Stones has certainly had his difficult moments at the Etihad; his future in Manchester looked in doubt in the summer of 2020 amid a long battle for form and fitness before Eric Garcia's wish to join Barcelona changed City's transfer plans. Having dug in and rediscovered his best, Stones has established himself once more as an excellent option for club and country and - with a contract until 2026 - is hoping for many more years at the top as the desire for trophies remains as strong as ever.
The former Everton defender is now into his seventh season with City and with Guardiola, putting him into an exclusive club of players who have worked with the manager for so long. If the calendar doesn't allow much time for reflection, Stones is proud of his achievements.
"It is hard to think about what's gone on because you're always on the move, you're always thinking about what comes next and you want more and to keep improving," he said. "You don't really get time to look at what's happened or spend much time thinking about it because the next thing is in front of you.
"Seven years is something I'm extremely proud of, fighting at the top for all that time and I hope that can continue for many more years. It's somewhere I love - I love the people I love the club and I think that's what makes going in every day and working and trying to be successful that more pleasing and satisfying because of how good everyone has been to me there and continues to be.
"You have your ups and downs and difficult moments but it's that old saying that nothing good comes easy. Lifting the trophies, and the willingness of the players and team to always improve and get better, it comes down to that winning mentality.
"The motivation from lifting a trophy and having that feeling grows stronger and you just want to repeat it and keep pushing that. When it doesn't come off it hurts and you use it to motivate yourself to go again."
Stones has lifted the Premier League on four occasions as well as winning a clutch of other trophies, and having been one of Guardiola's first signings at the Etihad still feels fresh as he becomes more and more of a senior player in the squad. Where he was welcomed into the group in 2016 by Fernandinho and Vincent Kompany, now he is one of the experienced heads helping the new and younger faces to settle and setting the example.
Aymeric Laporte, Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias have all brought more out of Stones and the deadline day signing of Manuel Akanji also increases the competition for places. While some grow tired of the constant fight to earn a place in the team - Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, and Oleksandr Zinchenko have all moved on for new challenges in the summer transfer window - the centre-back knows that Guardiola's need for what he brings to the pitch means that he is guaranteed to play regularly even if it is not every match.
"The main thing that we've got is incredible people in our squad. We all know that we're all going to play a major part within our team," he said.
"We obviously all want to play every week but at the same time we all know that the manager uses us all and in different situations and against different teams because we all have different individual qualities that are better for certain teams or players or whatever that might be.
"He keeps us on our toes and keeps us fighting and pushing us against each other but something special is we have just a defensive unit that all of us want each other to do well if the other person is playing. That's really special when you're fighting in every competition."
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