Just weeks after the “best day of his life”, Wrexham footballer Anthony Ford’s life has suffered not one but two major shocks. Two weeks after his son Paddy was born, his brother called from his home in Ireland to say he was battling leukemia.

The worst was yet to come. His wife Laura, convinced something was wrong with his health, had an MRI which revealed he had a brain tumour. His emotional story is told in the latest episode of the Disney+ documentary ‘Welcome to Wrexham’, as they praise the football team for all the support they have received.

Laura also gets frustrated as she praises her husband for being such a good father to their son.

The 29-year-old full-back took two months off to be with his family following the heartbreaking news and on his return scored a goal in a packed National League clash against Yeovil at the Racecourse in April, which ended 3-0.

Wrexham achieved another crucial victory in the race for the title and promotion to the Football League, which was secured in the next match after a 3-1 home victory over Boreham Wood.

In scoring against Yeovil, Ford thanked people for their support during a difficult time for him and his family.

“It’s been kind of a crazy time for me and my family,” Forde added. “But I had great support and to come out and score again was really good.”

In the last episode of the documentary, which was successful on both sides of the Atlantic, the extent of the difficult period is revealed as the couple talk about how they dealt with the situation.



Wrexham’s Anthony Forde celebrates after scoring against Yeovil

The childhood sweethearts, who have been together since they met on a night out in Limerick when they were 18, were the first to speak openly about the devastating diagnosis.

Anthony signed for Wolves when he was 15 and was at home in Ballingarry during the summer holidays when he met Laura. He told the documentary: “I made fun of her because she couldn’t take her eyes off me, but it was probably the other way around. “We’ve been together ever since and it’s been amazing.”

Laura, who didn’t know who Wolves were, says: “I can safely say I know a lot about football now. Wrexham was good. It’s a great team and everyone has the same goal of progressing and we love being here.”

Anthony said everything was going well at Wrexham, adding: “Laura has been an absolute rock and I’m lucky to have her by my side. Little Paddy brought us even closer. “We are obsessed with him.”

But he recounted the moment when, two weeks after Paddy was born, he received a call from his brother to tell him he was in hospital with leukemia.

“It was a huge shock for us and a few weeks later Laura had an MRI and they found a brain tumour,” says Anthony.

Laura explained: “I knew something was wrong and I put pressure on the doctors, they did an MRI and now we are here. “One of the side effects is that my left hand doesn’t work as well, so I’m probably doing some simple things like cutting myself.”

Anthony explained: “I didn’t think it was real. It was the worst day of my life and hers. “Football has been a big part of our lives but when something like this happens it goes out the window and there are more important things.”

Laura explained who convinced Anthony to take a break from the game. She said: “Football is our life and I thought it would be a good distraction, but some of our football friends took me aside and said ‘if there is a time for us to go away for a few weeks, we have to sort it out’. ‘ .reveal what happened to your brother and me.

Anthony agreed: “How could I act when I have something so serious on my mind? It would be unfair for me and the team. The support we had from the club was incredible. “We don’t know the full outcome of things at this point, so it’s a matter of waiting.”

There were also touching scenes where Laura told her husband that being together made her appreciate him even more. She broke down and said: “You’re a really good dad and whatever happens, I know Paddy is so lucky to have you.

* New episodes of Welcome to Wrexham Series 2 will air every Wednesday exclusively on Disney+.