“I never thought as a 26-year-old professional footballer I would have been diagnosed with bowel cancer.”
Aberdeen Football Club player Angus MacDonald has decided to team up with the charity Clan Cancer Support and share his cancer story.
He hopes it will help raise awareness about bowel cancer and the importance of seeking medical advice if things don’t seem right.
Mr MacDonald, now 30, found the news a “bombshell” when he was diagnosed.
But he believes it shows it can happen to anyone and people of all ages.
Now he will be sharing his full story at a public event at Clan House on Thursday April 20. It has been organised by the charity as part of Bowel Cancer Awareness Month
Tried to hide symptoms after being told ‘could never play football again’
MacDonald previously had a blood clot in his lung aged 15, and experienced colitis and inflammation in his stomach.
However, he started to hide his symptoms after a doctor told him his health problems could mean never playing football again.
It wasn’t until treatment for a clot in his leg years later led to testing which ultimately revealed his cancer diagnosis at aged 26.
But he successfully completed treatment and made a full recovery.
Since joining the Dons in January 2023, MacDonald has been keen to work with Clan and a charity he founded in 2020, The Angus MacDonald Foundation, to highlight the importance of early diagnosis, especially to people under the age of 30.
He said: “I would say to anyone with symptoms, get checked as soon as possible. If I had left it any later my journey would not have been as simple.
“It would not have been just two operations without any chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Quite simply, I might not be here, so my message would be go and get checked as soon as possible.”
According to Cancer Research UK, the rate of bowel cancer in under 50s has increased by around 50% since the mid-1990s.
It is estimated that one in 15 men and one in 18 women will be diagnosed with bowel cancer during their lifetime.
Clan Cancer Support praised for ‘brilliant facilities’
Kay Johnston, head of Clan Cancer Support’s services, said: “We are incredibly grateful that Angus reached out to us in the hope it might encourage people worried about symptoms to get checked.
“Those with a diagnosis can also contact Clan for practical and emotional support and we are looking forward to welcoming guests to Clan House later this month.”
MacDonald said: “Clan House is a great building with brilliant facilities. Going into the Clan building for the first time was a breath of fresh air for me.
“They also have accommodation for people who are travelling a long way for treatments. I haven’t seen that in other places that I have been before, it’s a brilliant option.”
To hear MacDonald’s full story, attend the free event at Clan House on 120 Westburn Road, Aberdeen at 2.30pm on Thursday, April 20.
Complete a registration form to sign up.
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