Sir Chris Hoy has spoken movingly about what he called “the most difficult year of my life” following his diagnosis of incurable prostate cancer.
There was an outpouring of support when the cycling legend revealed last month that he had been given a terminal diagnosis and would only have two years to live.
In an interview with the BBC last night He described the feeling of “absolute horror and shock” when he was told that what he thought was just “pain and discomfort” in his shoulder was actually a tumor.
“I will never forget the words: It is incurable but manageable,” he said, adding that the chemotherapy treatment was “like torture” but that he felt “lucky” that he had more time left than others.
‘I am not deceived: I know what the final result will be. But no one lives forever,” he said.
Sir Chris, 48, also took the opportunity to call on the NHS to roll out prostate cancer screening for men aged 45 and over, adding it was “a no-brainer” and “could save millions of lives”.
Recalling how his grandfather and father suffered from prostate cancer, he added: “If you have a family history like mine and you are over 45, go and see your doctor.”
‘To me it makes sense: why wouldn’t you get tested a little earlier? Catch it before you need major treatment; It seems obvious to me.
There was an outpouring of support when the six-time Olympic gold medalist revealed last month that he had received a terminal diagnosis and would only have two years to live.
In an interview with the BBC last night, he described the “absolute horror and shock” of being told that what he thought was just “pain and discomfort” in his shoulder was actually a tumour.
‘Why not lower the age, lower the age, allow more men to come in and get their blood tested?’
The NHS does not currently offer prostate cancer screening, where all men over a certain age are invited to have regular screening, in the same way as breast, neck and breast cancer screening. uterus and intestine.
Men aged 50 and over can ask their GP for a PSA blood test, which detects problems with the prostate, regardless of symptoms.
However, people aged 49 and younger cannot officially be offered the same test, unless doctors have a good reason to suspect prostate disease.
Sir Chris said he hoped to see this change. ‘Maybe people hearing my story and then asking their GP (for a test) will generate enough interest for the decision makers to address this.
“In the long term, from a logical standpoint, it will potentially save millions of lives.”
Approximately 55,000 men in the UK are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year and rates have increased by more than 50 per cent in the last three decades.
While men over 75 are most at risk, cases in men under 50 have skyrocketed in recent years and doctors don’t know why.
Hoy’s cancer was discovered after a visit to the doctor in September last year when the Scot felt tightness in his shoulder.
Unlike many cancers, prostate cancer is not generally believed to be related to preventable lifestyle factors.
Scot Sir Chris, who lives in Cheshire with his wife Sarra and their two children Callum, nine, and Chloe, six, announced in February that he was being “treated for cancer” and that the treatment was going well.
But in October he revealed that he had prostate cancer and had known for a year that it was, in fact, incurable.
Recalling the moment, he says: ‘It came completely out of the blue. No symptoms, no warning, nothing.
‘The only thing I had was a pain in my shoulder and a little pain in my ribs. You know, I’m 48 years old now and I still lift weights in the gym and I still work out hard.
‘I just thought they were aches and pains. But this didn’t go away and they finally suggested I get a scan.
‘I figured it was going to be tendinitis or something. It was going to be, stop lifting weights or riding a bike for a while, get some treatment and everything would be fine.
“When the scan result showed it was a tumour, it was the biggest shock of my life. I remember the feeling of absolute horror and shock.
‘And from then on, appointments and seeing different doctors in different hospitals.
‘You are in a world where you feel like you simply exist, you are not living. It was like a living nightmare.
“I will never forget the words: ‘It’s incurable, but manageable.’ I think it’s only in really difficult situations that you discover what you’re made of and what you can deal with.
“This puts it into perspective: making a living riding a bike, you realize it was actually kind of fun.”
Sir Chris, however, believes the grueling training for the Olympics helped him prepare for the “battle” of cancer treatment.
“When you’re fighting for an Olympic gold medal, the moment feels like life or death.
‘The stakes have changed dramatically and it is life or death.
“But the principle is the same: it’s about focusing on what you have control over and not worrying about the things you can’t control.”