Slegers was struck by acute leukemia in 2020. At the beginning of February he was told that he would not get better. “We have no choice but to accept fate and deal with it,” he said on Twitter. He called on his followers to register as a stem cell donor. “I can’t be helped anymore, but others can!”
After Slegers’ call, thousands of people registered with Matchis: on February 19, there were 8300. Never before has so much happened in such a short time.
Before Slegers started working for PSV, he worked as a club watcher for Voetbal International and previously a sports reporter for De Telegraaf.
What is Acute Leukemia?
In acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), there is an overproduction of immature B and T lymphocytes that displace normal blood production in the bone marrow. This causes anemia, there is an increased risk of infections and possibly bleeding.
Bone marrow is located in the hollow bones, especially in the pelvis, sternum, ribs and vertebrae. The production of blood cells takes place in the bone marrow. All the different blood cells (red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets) are formed there.
Every year, approximately 200 people in the Netherlands are diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Half of these are under the age of 18.
Source: IKNL
