Sir Chris Hoy's heartbreaking realisation he feels 'lucky' after cancer diagnosis

Daily Record

21 hours ago

The Scottish Olympic cycling legend revealed last year that he has incurable Stage 4 prostate cancer.
Sir Chris Hoy has told how he feels "lucky" to have the opportunity to appreciate life following his cancer diagnosis.
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The Scottish Olympic cycling legend revealed last year that he has incurable Stage 4 prostate cancer. He was told he has only two to four years left to live.
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The courageous 49-year-old has dealt with his illness in remarkable fashion and has raised so much awareness that almost 5,000 extra men were referred for urological cancer in the six months after speaking of his own diagnosis. Just weeks after Hoy revealed his cancer battle, his beloved wife, Sara, discovered she had multiple sclerosis.
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Despite the double diagnoses, the inspiring couple are training for the six-time gold medalist's mass-participation charity ride Tour de 4 in September.
Hoy believes positives can come out of a really dark situation as he continues life with Sara and their four children.
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The opportunity to say goodbye has become a powerful thing for the icon to reflect upon.
Former Scottish cyclist and journalist Richard Moore is a figure Hoy thinks about a lot.
Moore died in his sleep in 2022, aged 48, leaving behind his wife Virginie and five-year-old son Maxime.
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Hoy delivered a eulogy for Moore, perhaps never imagining his own tragic news would arrive. But the cyclist has other contemporaries in mind now too in Scottish cycling coach Ivor Reid, track sprinter John Paul, who passed away suddenly aged 28, and former Scottish mountain bike champion Rab Wardell.
In an interview with the Telegraph, Hoy said: "They didn't get the chance [to say goodbye to their loved ones]. And in some respects you think: 'That's the ideal way to do it, just keep living until the lights are switched off.'
'To be able to tell your loved ones what you feel about them, to appreciate what you've got, and yeah, for Richard, or for anybody who dies suddenly, to have 24 hours left on the planet, to be able to live that last day… you know, what would they have given for that? And therefore, for me, I think: 'Well, aren't I lucky?' Look at the privilege I've got, the time to really appreciate life.'
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Asked for the advice he would offer others as they go through difficult moments, Hoy suggested remaining in the moment is crucial.
He said: "I think when it gets tough, when it gets really tough, it's bringing yourself back to the exact moment you're in and recognising 'Can I keep going another 10 seconds? Can I deal with what I'm going through right now? I'm here, I'm breathing, my kids are next door sleeping, they're OK.'
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'It's the fear of the future that causes anxiety and stress for most people. So it's not allowing yourself to fast forward and try and predict what's going to happen because you never know.'
And Hoy is still exploring the possibility that stage four cancer will one day be treatable. His cancer is currently stable and he has visited Professor Dr Chris Evans, a specialist whose remit is focusing on creating cancer prevention and diagnostics solutions.
Hoy admitted he is 'always looking at the new options coming out'.
He said: 'When it [his treatment] stops being effective I will look to other treatments that are available, hopefully there are a few waiting in the wings."