Teenager will attend the game against Colchester
Joe Heyes, one of the newest members of the Cod Army, will be a guest of the Club’s at Saturday’s final home game of the season against Colchester United.Gretar Steinsson, the Club’s Technical Director, visited the home of the youngster in Westhoughton on Monday afternoon as he continues to recover from AML leukaemia.
The 13-year-old football fanatic has developed a close relationship with Steinsson after the former Icelandic international visited him in hospital last Christmas.
Speaking to fleetwoodtownfc.com, Joe said: “Gretar brought me a signed Fleetwood shirt and one of his old Bolton tops when I was in hospital over Christmas.
“When he came to visit me in hospital it really cheered me up and made me happy. It took my mind off what I was going through.
“I play for four different football teams, so my aim is to get back playing for one and then gradually get back into them all.”
A keen footballer himself, Joe found the back of the net a staggering 50 times in just one season whilst playing for one of his local football teams. His love of the game doesn’t stop there, as he has a collection of football shirts that any avid supporter would crave.
Amongst them are the likes of FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Bolton Wanderers and of course the famous Fleetwood Town.
Joe’s Mother, Gaynor Heyes, said: “It’s great to know that you’ve got people who are willing to support and help out.
“Joe loves his football and it helped raise his spirits when he met Gretar. We all can’t wait to come along to Highbury this weekend and watch Fleetwood Town.
Steinsson added to this: “It’s good to see how well he has responded to the therapy and how well he has responded to the latter parts of it.
“Without going into detail about the process he’s been though, it’s refreshing to see someone so positive about things.
“We tend to complain about everything on a day to day basis and are insistent on making things complicated in our daily lives.
“Seeing someone like Joe who just wants to play football with his friends and be better is fantastic. He has a great outlook on life.
“It was great to see him today and I’m really looking forward to seeing him again on Saturday. Hopefully he will enjoy a fantastic game of football.
“He has done something that a lot of us haven’t done. You don’t go through something like this with your family without being special.
“He is a great example to the rest of us, and for him to become a Fleetwood fan now and seeing how inviting we are is a credit to the Club.
“Over the years you do a lot of visiting to hospitals, but Joe’s an exception. He’s an absolutely incredible individual and it’s a credit to be a part of his journey back.
“Joe is a fantastic lad and I hope all the Fleetwood fans will give him a big cheer on Saturday afternoon.”
Everyone at Fleetwood Town hope Joe and his family enjoy their matchday experience.