Coventry City midfielder Carl Baker has joined former Nottingham Forest and England midfielder Geoff Thomas to help lead the blood cancer charity Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research to 'Give
Blood Cancer the Red Card'.
Baker's elder brother Mike died from leukaemia in 2009 and his younger brother Dean has been treated for the disease. Fellow campaigner Geoff Thomas beat the disease and the pair are now campaigning hard to raise funds for the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research charity.
In the UK every 20 minutes someone is told they have blood cancer and that means that during the game on Saturday, nationwide five new cases will have been diagnosed.
Baker and Thomas are now asking for fans of both clubs to donate to the charity by texting "BEAT20 £3" to 70070 to help fund life-saving research in the Midlands.
Baker told the club website, "Unfortunately I lost my brother to leukaemia. The charity is doing a great job and supporting them will help others beat blood cancer."
The money raised will fund the Trials Acceleration Programme (TAP), an innovative network linking 13 leading hospitals, including Birmingham and Nottingham. For more information about the campaign, visit the charity's website at ww.beatingbloodcancers.org.uk