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A Briton who had won places to attend the semi-final of the Euro football, between England and Denmark, preferred to give them to relatives in order to keep his promise to make a donation to fight against the blood cancer.
Sam Astley, 24, watched the semi-final won by the England team from his hospital bed on Wednesday night, before an operation Thursday morning to donate his bone marrow and stem cells, as he had pledged to do.
“My girlfriend won in a competition for tickets to the game on Monday,” the young man from the West Midlands told the BBC, “but obviously, as I was scheduled to make this donation today, I didn’t I was in no case going to push him away ”.
Sam Astley had pledged six weeks earlier to donate his stem cells at a charity football tournament organized by a friend of his partner, who “himself suffers from a form of blood cancer,” he said. he explained to local media Stourbridge News.
“Sam showed us what a true hero he is, by turning down the unique opportunity to see England play at Wembley in order to give someone with blood cancer or blood disease a better chance of survival. “Greeted Henny Braund, executive director of the organization with which the young man had registered as a donor,” We can never thank him enough.
Gemma Peters, CEO of Blood Cancer UK, and England international Gary Lineker relayed the story on Twitter, calling on their contacts to find a place in thanks for his gesture for Sam for the final, which will take place on Sunday in Wembley.
A request that received extensive online support, to the point of reaching the ears of Vivo, the sponsor of the competition.
A spokesperson for the smartphone maker thanked Mr Astley for “his selfless donation that will save lives,” announcing that he was offering tickets to the final to the young man and his companion, who also had to forgo the game on Wednesday after being identified as a contact case of a person positive for Covid-19.
Recovering in hospital after his operation which went well, the 24-year-old thanked Gary Lineker and the internet users in a tweet for their support and “all the wonderful messages” he has received.
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