Football: Brave smile of the Premier League footballer whose super-athletic body has been utterly transformed by cancer

Stiliyan Petrov was diagnosed 13 months ago after feeling tired and run down with leukaemia . He is now in remission following chemotherapy and will take medication for the next two years. And having learnt more about the disease, says he realises how lucky he is to be alive. Speaking for the first time about his battle, the former Bulgaria Skipper said: 'Some people with this disease will die very quickly and I managed to keep battling and still be here, still standing. It's a great thing.'

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