INSPIRATIONAL Sir Chris Hoy is having a huge influence in men seeking advice about prostate cancer.
Back in October, the seven-time Olympic medallist revealed he has up to four years to live, following his own cancer diagnosis.
While Sir Chris also made a special appearance at the World Darts Championship final[/caption]
Brave Sir Chris, 48, told the Sunday Times: “As unnatural as it feels, this is nature.
“You know, we were all born and we all die, and this is just part of the process.
“You remind yourself, aren’t I lucky that there is medicine I can take that will fend this off for as long as possible.”
Remarkably, Hoy kept his diagnosis private while he continued his media work for the BBC.
Last year, he announced he was being “treated for cancer” and claimed it was going well – though knew in reality it was just “management”.
The star had gone to the doctor in September 2023, after feeling a strain in his shoulder.
A tumour was found, before a second scan discovered the primary cancer in his prostate.
It had metastasised to Sir Chris’s bones – including his shoulder, pelvis, ribs, and spine.
Speaking of the appointment in which he found out about the tumour, he told the Sunday Times he thought “I’m just getting a bit old for lifting heavy weights”.
Referred by his physiotherapist for a scan, he went to hospital alone, expecting to be told to lay off upper-body work in the gym for a few weeks.
“I’m really sorry,” the doctor told him. The nurse’s eyes filled with tears. “There’s a tumour in your shoulder.”
Since revealing the news, Hoy has thrown himself into promoting prostate cancer awareness.
While he has made public appearances at events like the World Darts Championship and at Scottish Gas Murrayfield before Scotland hosted Ireland in the Six Nations earlier this month.
Hoy’s certainly making the most of his life, and is potentially saving the lives of others.
Positive influence
According to data provided by the NHS to SunSport, since Hoy announced his terminal prognosis in October, traffic to the prostate cancer web page on NHS.UK has increased by 47% to a total of 190K visits.
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS National Clinical Director for Cancer, told SunSport: “Thanks to Chris’ decision to speak so openly about his situation, the hard work of NHS staff and our effective awareness campaigns, we are diagnosing more men with prostate cancer at an earlier stage than ever before, so they have the best possible chance of receiving effective treatment.
“We know that coming forward for prostate checks can be daunting, but it could save your life, so we would encourage men to consult the prostate cancer symptoms advice available on NHS.uk, and to see their GP as soon as possible if they are concerned.”
Prostate Cancer UK’s chief executive Laura Kerby championed Hoy, who found time to pen an uplifting memoir Sir Chris Hoy: All That Matters last year, for selflessly promoting awareness of prostate cancer.
The charity have also seen an astonishing rise in numbers of men using their prostate cancer risk checker service.
She told SunSport: “We are hugely grateful to Sir Chris for selflessly using his platform to speak so honestly about his prostate cancer diagnosis while himself navigating his own journey with the disease.
Sir Chris has been championed by the NHS and Prostate Cancer UK for promoting prostate cancer awareness[/caption]
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“This has made an immense impact in making men aware of their risk, which is crucial as prostate cancer often has no symptoms in its earlier, more treatable stages.
“Since he spoke about his own diagnosis, diagnosis, and by attending several high-profile sporting events, Sir Chris has inspired thousands of men to take action.
“We’ve seen a marked increase in the number of men checking their risk of prostate cancer online and finding out what they can do about it.
“In the four months since announcing his diagnosis in October last year almost 625,000 men have checked their risk on Prostate Cancer UK’s 30-second online risk checker –of whom more than 156,000 can be linked to Chris’s many media appearances.
“Our social media posts about Sir Chris have received over 2.2 million impressions, with thousands of people getting in touch asking about how they can access support from us.
“And we saw a 44% increase in contacts to our Specialist Nurse/Risk information services combined in the week immediately after the news of his diagnosis broke.
“Sir Chris only found out he had prostate cancer because of a routine scan for shoulder pain.
“One in eight men will get prostate cancer, and too many men like Sir Chris are diagnosed purely by chance, often when it’s too late for them to be cured.
“Prostate cancer often has no symptoms in its earlier stages, so it’s vital you know your risk.
“If you’re a man over 50, you are at risk of getting prostate cancer, and that risk is even higher if you’re black, or like Sir Chris, you have a family history of the disease.”
Hoy has also been putting his energies in raising money for charities.
He has partnered with M&S this month to encourage men to check their risk of prostate cancer.
From now until the end of March, the fashion giant will donate £4 from every pack of men’s Autograph underwear sold to Prostate Cancer UK.
While, Prostate Cancer UK and Macmillan Cancer Support are just two of the chosen charities who will support Tour de 4 – a cycling event born from Hoy’s vision to change perceptions around stage 4 cancer following his own diagnosis.
Kerby added: “We’re honoured and excited to be chosen as one of the five charities that will be part of the Tour de 4 event, spearheaded by Sir Chris in September.
Sir Chris has partnered up with M&S this month for an amazing charity initiative[/caption]
M&S will donate £4 from every pair of men’s Autograph underwear to Prostate Cancer UK[/caption]
“We have a passionate peloton of cyclists that proudly wearing Prostate Cancer UK’s Man of Men logo, and many of them will be saddling up to support this brilliant event.”
Getting his message across
Back in December, just a few months after his terminal cancer diagnosis reveal, Hoy appeared at the Sports Personality of the Year Awards.
The appearance came a week after he poured his heart out on ITV’s Lorraine – revealing how he and wife Sarra broke the news of his illness to their two children.
He took to the SPOTY stage soon after to give an impassioned speech about Team GB’s efforts at the Paris Olympics.
As he addressed his audience, he relayed what it takes to be represent your country at the Games.
Rather brilliantly, Hoy has also been able to appeal to men at major sporting events.
Back in January, he was invited by Paddy Power to the World Darts Championship final.
The bookies pledged to donate £1,000 for every 180 thrown, as well as a bonus £120,000 for every nine-darter thrown to Prostate Cancer UK.
In the end, they managed to raise a staggering £1million for the charity.
Back in December, Sir Chris appeared on Lorraine to talk about his cancer diagnosis[/caption]
Last summer, despite his private cancer battle, Sir Chris worked for the BBC at the Paris Olympics[/caption]
Hoy handed over the Ballon d’Art trophy to Luke Littler who paid tribute to the Olympian.
Littler said: “Days before, I had the news on and he was talking about the prostate cancer.
“I didn’t know much about him.
“Me and my mum sat down and she told me who he was.
“When my mum and dad came on stage, they pointed out who was Chris. It’s very sad what he’s going through.
“The limelight is on him and it’s good for him to come on stage and have the confidence to do it.”
Equally touching was Hoy’s emotional appearance at Scottish Gas Murrayfield for the Six Nations earlier this month.
He was given a rapturous applause by the home faithful as he delivered the match ball for The Tartan Army’s clash with Ireland.
What is prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer affects a small, walnut shaped gland that sits underneath the bladder and surrounds the urethra – the tube carrying pee outside the body.
It usually grows bigger as you get older.
The prostate’s main job is to help make semen – the fluid that carries sperm.
Most men with early prostate cancer don’t have any signs or symptoms – that’s why it’s important to know about your risk.
Possible symptoms include:
- Difficulty starting to urinate or emptying your bladder
- A weak flow when you urinate
- A feeling that your bladder hasn’t emptied properly
- Dribbling urine after you finish urinating
- Needing to urinate more often than usual, especially at night
- A sudden need to urinate – you may sometimes leak urine before you get to the toilet
If you do notice changes in the way you urinate, this is more likely to be a sign of an enlarged prostate, which is very common and non-cancerous.
But it’s still a good idea to get it checked out.
In the UK, about one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.
Some factors may mean you’re more likely to get it.
This includes:
- Getting older – it mainly affects men aged 50 or over
- Having a family history of prostate cancer
- Being Black
If you have any of these risk factors or if you have any symptoms, speak to your GP.
They can talk to you about your risk, and about the tests that are used to diagnose prostate cancer.
Source: Prostate Cancer UK
Sire Chris hands over the match ball for Scotland’s Six Nations clash with Ireland[/caption]
Hoy was joined by former Scotland rugby star Rob Wainwright, as they made their way onto the pitch.
BBC commentator Andrew Coltart declared Hoy ‘an inspiration’ as the legend took in the moment and headed down the tunnel.
And he isn’t wrong. Hoy’s a hero for inspiring men to seek help when it comes to prostate cancer. In effect, he’s a life-saver.
You can take Prostate Cancer UK’s Risk Checker right now: https://prostatecanceruk.org/risk-checker
