A SALTASH man who survived leukaemia is organising a charity football match in memory of the brother who saved his life.

Damian Smith was told he had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia in July 2001, when he was aged 26.

'Looking back, I was probably feeling ill for about a month prior to being diagnosed,' he said. 'I had issues with my eyesight, so I went to the eye infirmary. When they examined me they realised that I was bleeding at the backs of my eyes and I was rushed to hospital.'

Damian and his family were told that he urgently needed a bone marrow transplant in order to survive the disease which was causing him to deteriorate rapidly.

Medical tests showed his younger brother, Richard, was a suitable match and, without hesitation, he offered to be Damian's bone marrow donor.

'Without the transplant, I don't think I would be here. Richard saved my life,' said Damian.

The road to recovery was a long one for Damian, who spent three months on an isolation ward, and around nine months in total in hospital. 'I suffered two relapses and further complications – in total I was off work for almost four years,' he said.

By 2005, Damian had returned to his work as an electrical design engineer, life had gone back to normal and he and his wife Janine had a son, Alfie, who is now six.

While Damian was not quite well enough to return to playing football, he was able to pass on his passion and skills in the sport by becoming a coach.

Then one morning in November 2010, Damian received the awful news that his brother Richard had died.

Richard and his friend and lodger Kevin Branton had both succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning while at home in Saltash. An inquest in December 2012 heard that a faulty cooker was to blame for the tragedy.

Now Damian and his friend Pete Jefford, a firefighter, are planning a charity football match to raise funds for Leukaemia Research and for Carbon Monoxide Awareness, a charity which helps victims of carbon monoxide poisoning, supports friends and family who have lost loved ones, and works to raise public awareness of the dangers.

'Richard would have turned 34 in March. His passion was always for music, and he was outgoing and fun, and very laid-back,' said Damian.

'I don't think everybody has a carbon monoxide detector, so, if we can create some awareness, that will be good. We want to say to as many people as possible, make sure you have an alarm and test it regularly.'

Support

Damian and Pete, who are both coaches with Saltash United Juniors Football Club, are putting on the charity match between the Saltash United Veterans and the Plymouth Argyle Legends.

Damian is encouraging people to support what promises to be an exciting game and a fun community event.

'It will be something for the whole family. We'd like to see lots of children there and hopefully we'll get as many people over to the ground as possible to support two worthwhile causes,' he said.

The game takes place at Kimberly Stadium, Saltash, on Sunday November 17, with kickoff at 1.30pm. Tickets are free to under 16s.