6 days ago
Ex-footballer pledges to work out for 37 HOURS in a row in emotional fundraiser for former team-mate Joe Thompson who died aged 36 in April
A former footballer will exercise for 37 hours without sleep to raise money for a late ex-team-mate's family.
Simon Ramsden will complete more than one-and-a-half days of back-to-back workout classes in Sunderland from June 27 to June 29 in memory of Joe Thompson.
Thompson, a former Manchester United academy starlet, died aged 36 in April after his third battle with cancer.
The duo played at Rochdale together for six years and Ramsden calls Thompson a 'special man'. Ramsden has shared a Just Giving page with the target of raising £3,000.
Thompson leaves behind his wife Chantelle and two daughters, Thailula and Athena Rae, after losing his battle with lymphona, a type of blood cancer.
'Joe was a special man, anyone who knows Joe will vouch that he was like no other and he's been a special friend to me and something I will always treasure,' Ramsden wrote on Instagram.
'He led the way in every aspect of his life for the rest of us to follow and will forever be in our hearts and his legacy goes on.
'I want to raise as much money as possible from this event to provide a holiday for Joe's kids and for anything the family need at a time like this.'
Tributes poured in for Thompson from his old clubs and team-mates after he died.
Glenn Murray said: 'He was an unmatched energy all those years ago and it's something that he carried throughout his life.
'He was a shining light, even through illness and dark times in his life. He carried himself so well.'
Thompson had previously been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2013 and recovered before the cancer returned four years later. He went on to recover a second time before calling time on his career in 2019.
Thompson's playing career included spells at Rochdale, Tranmere, Southport, Bury and Carlisle United, before he retired in 2019.
He became a regular pundit on MUTV following his retirement and held an ambassadorial role, along with working as a motivational speaker and life coach.
