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The effort began after New York City FC player John Denis, a Yorktown native, was diagnosed with primary mediastinal large B cell lymphoma on Saturday, Feb. 3, his 26th birthday.
The diagnosis came just days before Denis was scheduled to leave home for his preseason and fourth year of playing professional soccer, according to his brother, Sebastian.
To help raise funds to help him with his intense fight against the disease, John and Sebastian soon began a GoFundMe fundraiser page.
"Having someone who has been so healthy and strong your entire life be given news of this magnitude has affected us all," Sebastian wrote on the page, continuing, "Any donation will assist our family pay for medical bills and ultimately save my brother's life."
Denis, who has been playing with NYCFC since 2022, was a member of Columbia University's college soccer team before graduating and joining the New York Cosmos in 2020. He then joined New Amsterdam FC for a season before his time with NYCFC began.
Although he now faces an intense battle before he can get on the field again, Denis certainly has the support of his fans.
As of Friday, Feb. 23, the GoFundMe page had already raised over $75,000 out of a $125,000 goal.
Those who wish to donate to the fundraiser can do so by clicking here.
"A huge thank you to everyone for the support through this hard time. I am eternally grateful!" Denis wrote on the fundraiser page.
He added, "Much love to all of you."
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