Former England footballer Geoff Thomas never doubted his sister Kay was a hero after she saved his life as he battled leukaemia.

Geoff was given just three months to live before a stem cell transplant from his big sister helped him make a miraculous recovery in 2004.

Now nurse Kay is ready to save even more lives by caring for coronavirus patients.

The 59 year-old has been a district nurse and cared for sick babies, but underwent special training to treat coronavirus patients alongside her NHS colleagues in Manchester last week.

Inspired by her example, Geoff is backing the Daily Mirrors campaign for all NHS staff to be honoured with a medal for their sacrifice during the coronavirus pandemic.

Geoff, 55, who captained Crystal Palace in the 1990 FA Cup final, said: I wouldnt be here without Kay. I think she was more nervous about the transplant than I was.

For me it was an opportunity, a second chance I didnt think I would have. For Kay it was a huge responsibility, because she was scared it wouldnt work and she didnt want to let me down.

We should be so grateful to all our doctors and nurses for taking on a similar responsibility now, caring for people with coronavirus. They deserve a medal when this is done.

Geoff was given the devastating news he had chronic myeloid leukaemia by telephone as he sat in a traffic in 2003. He underwent treatment to wash away the huge numbers of defective white bloods cells his body produced, which were slowly suffocating him, followed by chemotherapy.

But the only cure was a stem cell transplant. While Kay was not a perfect match for her brothers, doctors hoped Geoff would be able to endure the transplant due to his active career and lifestyle.

Geoff underwent his transplant in early 2004 and spent five weeks isolated in a room at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham as doctors had to destroy his immune system with full body radiation to stop it rejecting Kays cells.

He said: I was pushed to the brink. There was one night I wasnt sure I was going to get through it, but the next morning my cells levels started to rise.

Geoff then spent months recuperating at home with little human contact outside his family, to protect his fragile immune system as he recovered. At that stage a minor illness could have proved fatal, indeed a bout of shingles show him rushed back to hospital.

As a result, he has plenty of experience and some helpful tips when it comes to self-isolating.

Geoff, who lives with his wife Julie and mum Renee in Worcestershire, said: You have to remember why you are doing this. That was easy after my transplant, but the same applies now.

People donate to charities to save lives, but the fact is you can save lives right now by staying home. You could save someone you love or a complete stranger and you are helping the doctors and nurses on the frontline who are working so hard to keep us safe.

Another important thing is routine. When I was in hospital, my routine revolved swapping jokes with the nurses, trying to eat what they gave me, even though I didnt really feel like it, and looking forward to seeing Julie she was the only visitor I was allowed. It kept me going.

Set yourself little goals to help you stay positive, then look to build on that the next day. I always did that as a footballer and it helped me get through my recovery and self-isolation.

Stay in touch with your friends and family because social media has made that easier than ever, and try to appreciate the little things. Leukaemia teaches you to do that. Exercise is important too.

After recovering, Geoff was determined to help more people survive the deadly disease and began raising funds and awareness for Cure Leukaemia, a charity set up by Professor Charlie Craddock CBE, the doctor who oversaw his care in Birmingham.

He rode the Tour de France route with a team of volunteers ahead of the professional riders in 2005, earning him a BBC Sports Personality of the Year Helen Rollason Award.

Geoff will repeat that feat for the fifth and final time to raise 1 million for the charity this year. He will be accompanied by a team of 18 fundraising cyclists and is being supported by Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker, whose son George survived leukaemia as a baby.

He said: We have come such a long way since that first ride. It's quite exciting in the world of blood cancer at the moment, because there are so many potential treatments identified.

The crucial things now is getting them to the bedside to help patients in hospital.

But in another way, nothing changes. We know we need to carry on raise money to fund the nurses who do such a fantastic job and the research fellows working to find a cure.

Read more from the original source:
Former England footballer Geoff Thomas backs Mirror campaign to give NHS heroes a medal - Mirror Online