Wolves goalkeeper Carl Ikeme: I'm ready to give it my all
Wolves goalkeeper Carl Ikeme has tweeted his thanks following the immense show of support offered following his Leukaemia diagnosis, stating that he's ready to give his all.
The 31-year-old was revealed to have the condition after he reported back for pre-season training and returned abnormal results on a blood test.
The Nigerian international will now start an immediate course of chemotherapy.
But following the huge amount of support shown to him online, the stopper has tweeted his fans as he prepares to do battle with the disease.
Alongside a picture of him at hospital, the Wolves goalkeeper wrote: "Thank you all for your kindness and Love. The start of a new chapter and ready to give it my all! Thank you."
In the same photo posted on his Instagram account, Ikeme added to his comments:
"Just wanted to say thanks for all the messages that I have received since being diagnosed with Leukaemia this week." he said.
"The support that has been shown by everyone has taken me back and been hard to look at without shedding a tear.
"I know this is going to be a tough time now but I'm going to give it 100% as I always do!"
Meanwhile, Wolves captain Danny Batth also took to Twitter after visiting his teammate.
"Afternoon with the Champ! He thanks you all for your support & messages, lets show this guy some Love people." The centre-back tweeted.
Meanwhile, continued support from football clubs, fans and players around the world has poured in.
Most recently, Premier League side Bournemouth backed the Wolves stopper on Twitter, with Asmir Begovic and Artur Boruc among a collection of others pictured offering their support.
Former Aston Villa midfielder and Leukaemia survivor Stilyan Petrov has also paid a visit to Ikeme.
He has previously tweeted his support to the goalkeeper, but followed up with a visit.
"I went to see Carl the other day, so we had a little chat. Obviously there were a lot of questions in his mind, and he was in very good spirits." he said, speaking to the Birmingham Mail.
"He's started his treatment now. It's a long road to follow.
"He had so many questions so I've been through it with him. You need to answer in a way that's going to give him everything that will happen, what to expect, how to deal with it, what are the side-effects, how he's going to approach everything.
"There's a lot of things, but he's in good spirits and that's the main thing. I said to him, 'You'll have great support. Everybody around the world will support you and it's a great help,
"It's a long road, it's hard, it's tough, you need to really battle through it.
"But look at me now. I'm alive, I'm kicking. It's life afterwards and it's worth it when you battle so hard to appreciate life even more afterwards."
Ikeme came through the academy ranks at Wolves, making his first team debut in a 2005 League Cup tie when he was 19.
In 2015 the Sutton Coldfield-born keeper made a shock international debut for Nigeria, who he qualifies for through his father.
Wolves have said fans wishing to send messages of support to Ikeme can email fans@wolves.co.uk
