Aston Villa midfielder Stiliyan Petrov was diagnosed with acute leukaemia in March, said the past few months had been very tough. "I am just not going to stop fighting. I have always been a fighter and I will just keep fighting," said Petrov.
Petrov, who was confirmed as club captain by new Villa manager Paul Lambert, added that he would remain patient and was confident he would recover.
"I've been a strong character since the start of my career," he told Aston Villa's official website.
"I always believed that you need to be patient and you need to believe in things, and I believe I will get better.
"I know I've got a few more months of chemotherapy and I need to go through it, but I think that the hardest bit is over and from now on I just need to wait for the result to be positive."
Petrov visited his Aston Villa team-mates on his 33rd birthday and received a warm welcome, including a rendition of Happy Birthday.
"It is great to see the boys. I'm OK," he said.
"I had a tough three months but I'm over the hurdle at the moment.
"It is a good day and I hope I will keep receiving these messages for a few more years - a good 50 years!"
