Watch: Minute's applause at Walsall match in memory of avid fan who died from rare form of cancer
A minute’s applause rang out in the 46th minute of Walsall’s match against Southampton in memory of avid fan Mark Rainer, a healthcare worker who died from a rare form of cancer.
The father-of-two died peacefully in the presence of his partner Nikki Rowley at Walsall Palliative Care Centre in Goscote on Tuesday, January 2. He was diagnosed with Pericardial Sarcoma, a rare type of cancerous heart tumour, in 2022 after being unwell for a period of time before this.
James Rainer, Mark’s brother, said: 'He engaged with his treatment with determination, taking the many disappointments on the chin, and somehow, keeping his spirits up for the benefit of the family.
“Mark was a devoted public servant and was very proud of his contribution to the NHS, always going the extra mile for the patients.”
Mark followed in the footsteps of his mother Margaret Rainer who worked at the Manor and Sandwell Hospitals from 1962 and retired in 2008.
