In 2003, Geoff Thomas, former -England and Crystal Palace footballer was diagnosed with leukaemia.  Geoff was lucky, a bone marrow transplant from his sister saved his life.  Not every blood cancer patient is so lucky.

The Geoff Thomas Foundation is working with charity Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research to get new treatments to blood cancer patients in the UK, faster. Geoff is working to raise money for a network of national centres, allowing patients to benefit from the latest advances in the diagnosis and treatment of blood cancers.

During his footballing career Geoff Thomas won nine caps for England and captained Crystal Palace to the FA Cup Final in 1990. In 2003 Geoff was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) shortly after retiring from football.

Inspired by the bravery of patients around him and a determination to beat blood cancers, he set up the Geoff Thomas Foundation. Geoff took on the Tour de France in 2005 and again in 2007 to raise money for research. He was awarded the 2005 BBC Sports Personality Helen Rollason Award in recognition of his charity work.