HOLLYWOOD superstar Sean Bean returned to his native Yorkshire � to show his support for a new hospital cancer campaign.

The Lord Of the Rings star and well known Sheffield United fan was back in his home town of Sheffield to front the Sheffield Leukaemia Blood Disorders Appeal.

And he was inspired by the courage of Examiner reporter Adrian Sudbury, battling the disease since November.

The appeal aims to raise at least �150,000 for a vast range of desperately needed equipment on the leukaemia wards at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital.

Sean said: �I am very proud to have been asked to front such a wonderful campaign that will hopefully give leukaemia sufferers in Sheffield and surrounding areas a much better quality of life.

�I know a lot of patients spend weeks, often months in complete isolation and this appeal will hopefully make life a little bit easier and more comfortable for them.

�That�s obviously the main objective of this whole thing and I am just pleased to be fronting it.�

Adrian, who was struck down with the disease back in November, has been sharing his experiences and his treatment in his very own internet blog and video diary on the Huddersfield Examiner website.

Adrian went down to the hospital to meet the superstar as he planted a tree in the hospital grounds as a lasting reminder that the appeal is ongoing and there is a desperate need for funds.

Adrian said: �I think Sean Bean will add a lot to this campaign and the money raised will make such a huge difference to the ward and consequently the patients.

�We are in there for an incredibly long time so anything to improve the patients welfare has got to be a good thing.

�I�m so glad that someone like Sean Bean could come down and support us today.�

It has been five weeks since Adrian left the hospital and his isolation box, in which he spent four weeks confined to a tiny room.

Although things have been going reasonably well for him, it hasn�t come without its complications.

Adrian added: �The first three weeks were mainly taken up with rest and sleeping.
�I was sick quite a lot and for a while I wasn�t eating properly. I�m at the stage now where I am generally feeling a lot better but there have been a few blips along the way. Last week I was rushed back into hospital with a nasty infection but that was treated very quickly and within three days I was out again.

�The infections are something that everyone in a similar situation to me has to get over. Although it can often feel like a step back, overall I feel I have progressed quite a lot so I�m just keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that in a months time I�ll almost be back to full strength.�

The Huddersfield-based charity the Laura Crane Trust has also been doing its bit for cancer sufferers in Sheffield. Volunteers have helped kit out the teenage cancer unit at Sheffield�s other cancer hospital, the Weston Park Centre.

Adrian said: �I have recently been speaking to people from the Laura Crane Trust and one thing I have come to realise is that there are a lot of people, particularly from South Kirklees, who, if diagnosed with leukaemia, would probably end up going to Sheffield for their treatment, so the Sheffield Leukaemia and Blood Disorders Appeal is going to benefit a huge number of people.�

The ultimate test for Adrian will come at the end of August, when he will either find out that the bone marrow transplant has worked and has cured his leukaemia or the disease is still there and will need further treatment.