An England fan who performed heroics at the London Marathon has been gifted tickets for Wednesday’s semi-final clash with Argentina by one of the Three Lions squad.
Jordan Adams, one half of the FTD Brothers, has gained national attention along with his sibling Cian for their monumental fundraising efforts.
Adams, 31, has spent years raising awareness for Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) after he lost his mother Geraldine to the disease in 2016 when she was just 52.
The brothers, from Redditch in Worcestershire, later discovered that they carry the same gene, meaning they have a 99.9% chance of developing the disease in their 40s.
The pair ran 33 marathons in 33 days in May, starting with the London Marathon which Jordan completed with a 25kg fridge on his back.
They then went on to complete events in all 32 Irish counties to honour their mother’s roots.
The brothers have raised almost £2million so far for a number of charities, including the Alzheimer Society of Ireland.
Earlier this week, Jordan set off to the US, and took to social media to issue a plea for tickets ahead of the semi-final.
He said: “Eight years ago, I was given a terminal prognosis which means that I'm going to get the same FTD that took my mum and 12 relatives.
“Since then I've made my life as a full-time advocate, but I've also tried to live as freely as possible and jump at opportunities. It would be a real bucket list moment to go to England vs Argentina in Atlanta.
“Let's test the power of social media and see if I can get a ticket to the game.”
England star Kobbie Mainoo responded to the post with the message: “I've got you brother” - leaving Jordan “speechless”.
In a second post on Instagram, Jordan said: “I’ve finally arrived in Atlanta ahead of the World Cup semi-final and I’m glad to say I have got a ticket. None other than Kobbie Mainoo reached out and offered me a ticket to the game. To be quite honest, I’m quite speechless.
“'I can't believe that a current England player in the squad here at the World Cup would show that level of kindness so thank you to Kobbie for that, that is absolutely unbelievable.”
Jordan also said that FIFA had offered him the chance to be a special guest at the match, and would be collaborating with him to spread more awareness about FTD.
He said that the collaboration with FIFA is an opportunity to “advocate for people all over the world living with dementia, those who haven't got the right support, those who haven't got a diagnosis, and those of us who desperately need a treatment or a cure in the future.”
