A selfless England fan turned down tickets for the Euro 2020 semi-final to save a life by donating stem cells and bone marrow.
Sam Astley, 24, had been overjoyed when his girlfriend Beth Hill, 25, won tickets in a competition for the historic match between England and Denmark at Wembley Stadium yesterday.
But Sam turned down the opportunity to go and watch the national team play for the very first time after discovering he was a donor match.
He had signed up to the Anthony Nolan stem cell register and to his shock and disbelief discovered the procedure in London was the same day as the match.
Sam, of Dudley, West Midlands, said he has no regrets at turning down the chance to watch Gareth Southgate's men reach the Euro 2020 final.
He said: "Life is more important than a football game at the end of the day.
"No football game beats saving someone's life."
As well as donating stem cells, Sam - who works as a buyer for a manufacturing technology firm - is expecting to donate a litre of bone marrow.
He added: "Somebody's waiting for the donation but we're not sure which part of the world they're from."
He admitted to being "a bit nervous" about the procedure which is likely to leave him in some discomfort and tired for up to a month.
Beth, of Cradley Heath, West Midlands, who works as a critical care nurse at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, also had to miss out on the prize as she is self-isolating.
The couple decided to gift the prize, which included an overnight stay at The Dorchester and £500 spending money, to relatives instead.
Sam and Beth are now hoping they might be able to buy tickets for the final against Italy on Sunday.
Now, BBC presenter Gary Lineker is among the celebrities trying to get Sam to the final against Italy.
The ex-striker shared an appeal to get Sam to Wembley on Twitter and wrote: “Amazing. Can you help @FA @England?"
Speaking from his hospital bed, Sam said he had been left overwhelmed by the support following his decision to turn down England tickets in order to become a donor.
He said: “I’m just been overwhelmed with the recognition and nice messages we’ve been getting.
“Everything went fine with the procedure but I’ve got a bit of a bad back - with everything going on the adrenaline is taking the edge of the pain.
“It’s been going crazy, I’ve been completely overwhelmed and can’t believe it.
“I know I have done a good thing but other people do it all the time, not just donating stem cells but doing good things all the time.
“I’m really grateful I’ve been able to help.
“Yesterday I was watching on my own in hospital while Facetiming my girlfriend.
“Obviously I was over the moon we got through to the final but I couldn’t stop thinking we could’ve been there.
“We could’ve been at not just at a football match but at a national event, so its mixed emotions if I'm honest.
“The atmosphere seemed electric in there so it was bittersweet.”
Euro 2020 sponsors Vivo have since offered to help get Sam and Beth to the final on social media.
He added: “I have never been to Wembley or seen England live so it would be a dream come true to be at the first major final we’ve been in for 55 years.
“It would be immense. If we got tickets it would just be the icing on the cake."
Beth said doctors revealed how Sam started singing "It's coming home" when he came round from his operation this morning.
She is is self-isolating until Saturday when she will be able to see Sam, who’s being discharged from hospital tomorrow morning.
Sam signed up to the register at a memorial football match organised in memory of Olly Wilkes, who took his own life aged 22.
Olly's father Simon Wilkes suffers from a blood disorder and has been trying to raise awareness of the condition and help get more people to donate stem cells.
Simon, from Brierley Hill, West Midlands, said he was overcome with emotion at the gesture by Sam who has never seen England play or been to Wembley Stadium.
He said: "It's a once in a lifetime thing to win that.
"It's wonderful what he's going to do. He was already sacrificing work time and now he's sacrificing the chance of a lifetime."
Rebecca Pritchard, director of register development at the Anthony Nolan charity, said: “Our donors are incredible people at the best of times, bearing in mind they agree to help a complete stranger in this way.
"But these are extraordinary times. Sam has done an extraordinary and incredibly selfless thing by putting the needs of his recipient, above his own pleasure.
"What a hero. By doing this he’s giving someone with blood cancer or a blood disorder their best chance at survival and we cannot thank him enough.
"Every person who, like Sam, joins the register, has the potential to help save someone in desperate need of a lifesaving stem cell transplant."
The charity is particularly looking to encourage more men aged 16 to 30 to join the Anthony Nolan register as they are the most likely to be chosen to donate.
Anyone interested in signing up or finding out more can visit this website.
