The son of a firefighter who died waiting for a stem cell transplant will play his former colleagues in a football match in his memory.
Aaron Dall’s father Gary died in April last year, of blood cancer, before he could undergo an operation to save his life.
Twelve-year old Aaron and his Kirkcaldy Football Club 2006s teammates will take on a team from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in a charity match in June.
The event will raise money and awareness for Anthony Nolan, continuing a campaign undertaken by 50-year-old Gary before his death to recruit people to its donor register.
Gary’s wife Jennifer, who is organising it with Kirkcaldy FC coach Garry Thomson, said his appeal saw hundreds of people sign up to the register.
She said: “I would like to keep that going.
“He is no longer here but there are so many other people who need that chance.”
She said Gary, a football fan and Raith Rovers supporter, would be delighted to see Aaron playing his fellow firefighters and continuing his work for Anthony Nolan.
A former group manager based mostly at Kirkcaldy Fire Station during his 30 years as a firefighter, Gary led a recruitment campaign supported by the fire service and Raith Rovers and Fife Flyers ice hockey team.
Hundreds of people stepped up over that period, signing the register in the hope a potential match could be discovered.
A donor had been found for Gary but his operation was cancelled twice due to ill health. The stem cell transplant would have been his second.
Gary contracted myelodysplastic syndrome from chemotherapy he received for a transplant in 2010 as a trial treatment for Crohn’s disease.
The match will take place at Denfield Park, Kirkcaldy, on June 1 between noon and 4pm.
There will also be entertainment, including a bouncy castle, barbecue and a fire engine for children to explore.
Entry will be by donation to Anthony Nolan and a raffle and auction will also be held.
