Good News Stories

[RIP]

Here’s mine.

Fell ill in Section 43 at the home game with Livingston on Saturday 22 December. Had been suffering intermittent tummy pain for a few months but on this occasion the Hibs doctor summoned the Ambulance and I was shipped to ERI. Long story short - after 24 hours of tests and analysis by senior consultants, I received the grave news that they had found a large tumour on my pancreas that had enveloped my central artery.

Rather than share the full diagnosis with family, friends and work colleagues I decided that if 2018 was to be my last Christmas, that it was going to be as normal as possible. I was being referred to NHS Tayside and I suspected that they would likely carry out their own tests and advise what would happen next.

Well here I am five months later, I find myself in the best health of my life. I get a free weekly Yoga class at the McMillan Cancer Centre in Perth, twice-weekly personal training sessions at the Council gyms, I’ve resumed Martial Arts training after two decades and been volunteering my labour at a Walled Garden.

After a ream of tests the doctors discovered that rather than an aggressive Pancreatic Cancer with a ‘months’ outlook, I’m one of the 3% who have a rare hormonal secreting tumour. Of that 3%, I also have no secondary cancers (such as liver, lymph nodes) and my tumour is barely growing. I get an all-body chemical injected into my bahookie every 4 weeks and a checkup every 3 months. After 3 treatments I am cleared to go back to work.

This miraculous outlook would not have been possible without the many hundreds of thousand people who have been donating to cancer charities over the past 20-30 years. The research paid for by these generous donations has led to huge advances in diagnostic methods and to treatments which suppress tumour growth and maintain a reasonable quality of life.

I’m doubly blessed in that seven years ago, my wife Lesley took an 18st 4lb tubbie with a developing Type 2 diabetes diagnosis and introduced a new dietary regime. I joined the SPL FFIT programme at St Johnstone, bought collie dogs and took up walking. By May 2019, I had lost 70lbs, shed the diabetes and according to my personal trainer, have the blood pressure, pulse and cardiovascular recovery of a guy half my age.

What this five month journey has taught me is to live every day as if it’s your last, be grateful for our wonderful health professionals and treasure your loved ones. I’ve also met and befriended around a dozen amazing cancer survivors from a nine-year old ballerina called Lucy whose blond hair has gone but is still winning trophies to Morris, a 75 year old cyclist who’s had operations all over Europe since 2009 and is still hitting the gym a decade later.

Here’s to the next ten years
GGTTH
Gogs