The selfless way family are helping Coalville Town footballer battling cancer

The family of a footballer are offering their blood to help him recover from cancer.

Coalville Town defender Courtney Wildin, 22, originally from Leicester, is currently undergoing a second phase of chemotherapy at Leicester Royal Infirmary .

He and his family were shocked when a few spells of fatigue and a swelling on his neck turned out to be leukaemia.

The diagnosis came just three days after he had been playing for his team.

On Wednesday, members of his family visited him in ward 27 of the infirmary, which is the cancer ward for young adults.

They all donated a small amount of blood to be tested to see if they are a match.

After his chemotherapy is complete, Courtney will need a complete transfusion with blood from a matching donor.

He said: “My family all came in and were tested to see if they could be donors.

“It’s a one-in-four chance that someone will be a match for my blood type and then there are other things about the blood that have to be right.”

Now scientists will test the blood of his parents, Edwin and Karen, and his brothers Cole, 17, and Luther, 21, and his sister Jordie, 24, to find out which one will be the best to donate large amounts of blood to replace all of Courtney’s.

He said: “I’m lucky to have so many siblings. Everyone in the family has donated blood to be tested. Hopefully one of them will be a match.”

Courtney was first diagnosed on December 5.

Before Christmas he went to hospital for a mild form of chemotherapy but that did not rid his body of the disease.

Now he is undergoing seven days of intense chemotherapy, which will be followed by three weeks of recovery and then the doctors will carry out tests to see whether further chemotherapy is required.

He said: “I started the seven days of more intense chemotherapy on Monday and it’s about five to six hours every day of being wired up to machines.

"It’s tough but it’s got to be done.

“With the side effects of the treatment I find that some days I don’t feel like doing anything but sleeping.

“Today I’m feeling alright and had a wander around and got some fresh air.

“It’s mentally tough being in the same place every day but everyone on the ward is great and the nurses are amazing.

“It’s as good as it can be.”

Courtney, who lives in Ibstock, near Coalville, with his girlfriend Lauren Howkins, is trying not to get too focussed on getting out of hospital.

He said: “It looks like I’ll probably get to go home by about March, although it could take longer than that - or I could be out sooner.

“It’s hard to put a time scale on it and I’ve learned it’s best not to set yourself up for disappointment.

“It’s too early to say how the chemotherapy is going but the doctors are pretty confident it will work and I'll be back to playing football.”