Dream shout-outs prove a boost for young football fan as he battles illness
A Telford youngster battling a debilitating disease received support from a top footballer as he celebrated his 12th birthday in hospital.
Yuvraj Singh, 12, from Lawley in Telford, was diagnosed with Graft vs Host Disease (GvHD) following complications from a transplant to treat leukaemia.
Yuvraj spent his last birthday in hospital in isolation, so family and doctors were determined to make his 12th a lot happier.
For the big day, the team at Birmingham's Children Hospital arranged for a visit for the young football fan to meet one of his idols, former Coventry City and AFC Telford footballer, Ashley Cain.
Writing on Instagram, Cain said: "After hearing what Yuvraj has been through and overcome, I was compelled to get up and meet this young warrior. Finding out I was his idol was humbling as after spending time with him, I quickly became the one who was inspired. You really don't know how strong you are, how brave you are and how great you are my man."
Yuvraj also received a video message of support from a former star of his favourite football team, Manchester United. Jesse Lingard, who has played for England, praised Yuvraj's bravery and gave the young fan words of encouragement.
Lingard said: "I heard you're a big brave boy and you've been doing really well, I want you to keep fighting, keep staying brave, keep staying strong for you and your family."
The support made his day, Yuvraj's mum, Surjeet Kaur said: "You really saw his personality come out, it was the motivation and boost Yuvraj needed. It's a really good memory for him to have."
Yuvraj was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia during the pandemic in November 2020. With chemotherapy attempts failing, his family was informed a stem cell transplant was required, and the operation took place in May 2021.
Yuvraj is now cancer-free, but instead of being free to celebrate, he spent much of the last year in hospital suffering from GvHD, a disorder that occurs when the donated tissue's immune cells attack the recipient's body.
Mrs Kaur said her son suffers every day from the disease that has viciously attacked his skin and gut. She said: "He has no quality of life, he's in so much pain. It's robbed his life. To get through cancer and to be left with this, it's really hard."
Following the boost to his spirits, Mrs Kaur hopes the good news will continue after funding was found to give Yuvraj a new type of medication. She said: "Hopefully the new medicine will mean we can start making good memories, we've had to cancel so many things over the last year.
"This weekend we have bought him tickets to go to the Wireless Festival. He would really like that, he really wants to see Chris Brown. But we always have to wait and see."
Yuvraj's family shares his journey through social media, hoping to raise awareness of GvHD. You can follow along on Instagram @yuvraj_leukemiawarrior or Facebook @yuvrajsbattlewithleukemia
