IRISH DEFENDER JIMMY DUNNE has urged Queens Park Rangers supporters to come forward to help his close family friend with Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML)
Dunne's club QPR will open up a swab centre outside their ground, Loftus Road on Saturday to try to find a bone marrow transplant match for Daniel Greer, a 14-year-old with AML
The centre back is asking people to consider talking a swab test to see if they are a match with the 14-year-old.
The club will also wear T-shirts with the message #DoItForDaniel when they host Rotherham at three tomorrow.
Dunne and the club have also asked Rotherham supporters to take part also
DKMS, a blood cancer charity, will set up a mobile station on South Africa Road for supporters and people walking by the area
“I’m asking Rotherham fans as well as QPR fans, and the community of football as a collective,” Dunne said.
“It has a greater meaning than how important the football match is to people. We are obsessed with football and it’s our lives but there are people out there literally fighting for their lives. The more people that show up, the more likely we are to find a match.”
💪 We need your help — QPR FC (@QPR) August 17, 2022
Ahead of Saturday's clash with Rotherham United we are working with the family of @jimmydunne70 to assist 14-year-old 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 – and we need your support 🙏 #QPR | @DoItForDaniel1
Dunne has requested DKMS to send QPR testing kits and wants more clubs to get involved with the cause
“I have discussed it with some of the lads,” Dunne said. “It has shocked some of them a little bit. It is still really fresh, but the staff have been great and very supportive. Going forward, after this game on Saturday, it is something I’m going to talk more about and hopefully we can get test kits sent out to every football club, or as many as want to take part.”
Greer was diagnosed with AML in June and after chemotherapy was told he would need a bone marrow transplant. There is no single cure but a blood stem cell donation from a genetically similar person can offer the best treatment and a second chance at life.
“Daniel is a young musician in my mum’s orchestra, a really joyful, talented young man and a wonderful, happy kid,” Dunne said. “It is very urgent and a race against time.”
Only 2 per cent of the UK population are registered as potential blood stem cell donors.
“It is such a low figure,” Dunne said. “It is a matter of making people aware and getting people to register. Three out of four people diagnosed with blood cancer don’t find a match. On the DKMS website people can fill out a form, get a swab test sent to their house and they could save a life.” - Guardian
Visit https://www.dkms.org.uk/register-now to find out more
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