Football was everything to me growing up. I was playing for the Aston Villa Youth Team when, at 17, I was diagnosed with severe aplastic anaemia. For about a year, I underwent blood and platelet transfusions every two weeks and tried two courses of treatment, but both were unsuccessful. I became seriously ill and spent months in an isolation ward with a dangerously low white blood cell count, leaving me without immunity.

Two months after turning 18, I had a successful bone marrow transplant. Despite returning to Aston Villa five months later, persistent illness and injury forced me to step away from football. I didn’t play regularly again until about 14 years later, when I discovered Transplant Sport.

For many years, Birmingham didn’t have a transplant football team, so it’s been brilliant to help get Birmingham Transplant FC off the ground. We’ve built a great atmosphere and a supportive community of players, friends and family. It’s more than just a football club, it’s a way to raise awareness, bring people together and show what’s possible after a transplant.

My brother Stuart, who played football with me growing up and was always by my side through my illness, is now our team manager, bringing everything full circle for us.

Winning back-to-back British Transplant Games titles has been the icing on the cake, but it’s the monthly training sessions and the club’s spirit throughout the year that truly make it special. We hope to continue growing and inspire lots of new transplant recipients in the area to join us in the years ahead.