Football club to host stem cell recruitment drive

People attending a football match will be asked to sign up to a stem cell register in the hope of finding a donor for a local man.

Marshall Davies, 21, from Telford, was diagnosed with a rare and potentially aggressive type of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma in April 2023.

In December he received the news it had progressed to become a stage four cancer, meaning he urgently needed a stem cell transplant.

Gemma Elsmore from the charity Race Against Blood Cancer, which has organised the event at AFC Telford United on Saturday, said: "As you can imagine the family and friends are devastated."

Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that affects the skin and is more common in men.

About 150 people a year, mostly those 60 and over, are diagnosed with it, according to Cancer Research UK.

Ms Elsmore said it had been a shock because when Mr Davies was tested in April his cancer was only stage one and there had been no talk of a stem cell transplant.

Since then, the charity has helped arrange five stem cell sign-up events and had 450 people add their name to the register.

If a match is found, they will be asked to visit their GP to complete the process.

Mr Davies' sister, Leah Anne, said he had "remained positive and selfless throughout" but the stem cell transplant was crucial.

"I only have one little brother and I'm hopeful that he will stick around for the long run," she said.

Race Against Blood Cancer will be at AFC Telford United between 13:00 and 15:00 on Saturday.

Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.