Jones: Can you help Joao?
Reds goalkeeper Brad Jones has pledged his support to a Portuguese child who urgently requires a bone marrow donor to facilitate a vital transplant operation.
Eight-month-old Joao Jose - whose family are Liverpool fans - was diagnosed with acute myeloblastic leukaemia in August this year, but with no donor forthcoming to date his parents are expanding their search.
Jones, who lost his son Luca to leukaemia in November 2011 and regularly helps similar causes, has backed the campaign for bone marrow donations at selected collection centres.
He said: "It is almost a year since we lost Luca and not a day goes by when we don't think about him.
"Now we've found ourselves in a position where someone else close to the club needs a stem-cell transplant.
"Joao Jose is eight months old and has been diagnosed with acute myeloblastic leukaemia. So far, no possible stem-cell match has been found and that is why we need your help.
"We need people aged 16-30 to join the Anthony Nolan donor register.
"You could make a difference to Joao and help him lead a full and healthy life so please, register today and do your bit."
Registering with Anthony Nolan couldn't be simpler. Log on to www.anthonynolan.org, enter your details and you'll be sent a kit to enable you to provide a saliva sample.
Then, just return the sample as directed and that's all you need to do.