Exeter City players will be wearing t-shirts to support former player and coach Marcus Stewart ahead of Saturday's televised League One match at Forest Green Rovers.
Stewart announced he had been diagnosed Motor Neurone Disease earlier this month and the club will be doing our bit to support him.
During the warm up for match, which is live on Sky Sports at 12.30pm, the players will be wearing shirts with the message:
Stewart
We are with you
every step of the way
#AttackMND
These shirts were worn by Yeovil Town ahead of their match last weekend, and following their use this weekend they will send to another of his former clubs, Sunderland, for them to use.
Later this season the club will also be dedicating a full match day to raising awareness of MND and the Darby Rimmer Foundation. More details will be announced at a later date.
Speaking following his diagnosis, Stewart said: “I would like to take the opportunity to thank those closest to me for their unwavering support since my recent diagnosis.
“As I take the time to adjust, my intention is to continue to enjoy my work in football and spend time with my family.
“In the future, I would like to use my platform within football to help raise awareness around MND, but in the short-term, I would like to ask for privacy on behalf of myself and my family.”
Matt Taylor added: "Our thoughts go to Marcus and his family. He is someone who had such an incredible career and did so much for the football club in his time here.
"We will try and support him as much as we can individually and as a football club."
Donate
Marcus and his wife Louise have set up a JustGiving page with all proceeds going to the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation. You can support and donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/louise-stewart254.
About Motor Neurone Disease
Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is a neurological condition which affects the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. In some countries it’s known as ALS. MND affects a person’s arms and legs resulting in the need of a wheelchair whilst losing the ability to do basic things like wash, feed and dress yourself. It affects your ability to swallow food and drink which leads to the need of a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostom (PEG) feeding tube, to maintain nutritional intake as swallowing becomes impossible. Your voice is compromised and people are unable to talk meaning communicating is difficult. Breathing muscles are also affected, which leaves you relying on a ventilator to breathe. All these symptoms occur whilst your mind is unaffected. (Source: Darby Rimmer Foundation)