Gary Lineker shows his true colours with heartfelt message after family battle

Gary Lineker has shown his support for a groundbreaking new initiative that resonates deeply with him due to his son's past health struggles. The Match of the Day presenter has become a patron of Cure Leukaemia and is championing the launch of the charity's ATICUS Network.

He teamed up with the Birmingham-based national charity in September 2022, supporting their Finish It campaign, and was appointed as a patron in June this year. Lineker remains an active supporter of Cure Leukaemia's mission to aid children affected by the disease.

This cause is particularly personal to the former England international, as his son George faced leukaemia as an infant during the early '90s. Now healthy and in his thirties, George's experience has motivated the Lineker family to help ensure other children have the best chance at recovery.

The ATICUS Network, Cure Leukaemia's latest endeavour, is a partnership among 11 leading UK Children's Hospitals aimed at transforming clinical trial access for young blood cancer patients. As quoted by Birmingham Live, Lineker expressed his concern: "Four children every day are diagnosed with blood cancer in the UK, affecting children as young as 3 months old, and is the most common cancer in children and teens, including my son George who was less than a year old when he was diagnosed.

"The ATICUS Network is groundbreaking in the blood cancer landscape and will provide hope to so many children and their families - and just needs funding. We shouldn't be relying on patients, their families and friends to fundraise through crazy challenges to fund the Research Nurses required to open the ATICUS network."

ATICUS stands for Accelerating Trials in Children Undergoing Stem Cell Transplant. London's Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, where George was treated more than three decades ago, is among the hospitals taking part along with Birmingham Children's Hospital and Royal Manchester Children's Hospital.

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These are the others: Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, The Royal Marsden Hospital (Surrey), Great North Children's Hospital (Newcastle), Royal Hospital For Children (Glasgow), Leeds Children Hospital, Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust, St Mary's Hospital (London) and University College London Hospital (London).

On a trip back to Great Ormond Street Hospital with George in 2022, Lineker told our sister title The Mirror: "It always gets to me, sitting there watching a parent sitting next to their child knowing it's touch-and-go, it's hard. But you smile, it's lovely to take George in, he's 30 years old and he was given very, very little chance and here he is."

The former Leicester City, Everton, Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur, and Nagoya Grampus Eight striker added: "If you can just give them a glimmer of hope, it's not going to make any difference to their treatment, but if it makes them feel good or gives them a nice experience for a day or so. It's really weird talking about yourself having an impact on people because it feels a bit odd. But you do get lovely references about it and people do seem to really like that sort of thing."

As part of Cure Leukaemia's latest initiative, children nationwide suffering from blood cancer will now have access to groundbreaking treatments via the ATICUS Network. This network unites esteemed paediatric specialists and researchers from across the UK, with the goal of conducting innovative clinical trials designed to enhance the prospects for children receiving stem cell transplants.

Royal Manchester Children's Hospitals Professor Rob Wynn, playing a pivotal role in ATICUS, highlighted the vital role that national teamwork plays in expediting young patients' entry into clinical trials. He said: "Our aim as children's doctors is to cure our patients so that they can live their life as if they never had the illness in the first place.

"It's vital we incorporate these transformative new therapies into routine care as quickly as possible. This can only be done by increasing access to clinical trials of these new treatments. Access to clinical trials requires a funded national trial infrastructure, which we currently lack in the UK. Without such an infrastructure, real treatments that might help real children with blood cancer are often not available in the UK."

To support the ATICUS Network and kickstart these crucial trials, Cure Leukaemia has launched its Club 10 initiative, urging businesses throughout the UK to commit £10,000 each.

Cure Leukaemia's CEO, James McLaughlin, stressed the urgent need for funds: "The ATICUS Network is established and ready to go, but we now need the necessary funding to begin trials and improve the blood cancer landscape for children across the UK. These trials could deliver practice-changing treatments that will save lives, but we need support to make that a reality."

McLaughlin himself has recently taken on a formidable challenge to raise funds for the charity. He embarked on a gruelling run, covering over 220 miles in 14 days, passing through 16 cities, all in an effort to raise £100,000.

The current pledge total stands at £85,000 and continues to grow. Donations can be made here. For further details about The ATICUS Network or to become part of the Club 10 initiative, visit the Cure Leukaemia website here.