When Eddie Thomson lost his wife Moira to cancer 20 years ago he got on his bike to raise vital funds for the then newly-launched Friends of Anchor.
The then Jaguar aftersales manager cycled the 10 miles from his home in Dunecht to work on the Lang Stracht in Aberdeen for a week while organising other fundraising events.
His efforts raised £9,000 which went towards helping the growing charity buy new electric beds to make chemotherapy treatment more comfortable for patients.
Now he is preparing to help the charity raise even more – by stepping into the spotlight on the Brave catwalk following his own cancer diagnosis.
Immediate surgery
After becoming aware of a growing tennis ball-size lump near his stomach in 2021, Mr Thomson went to his doctor to get checked out.
Even when he was told it could be a “massive tumour”, he didn’t think it could be cancer.
He wasn’t feeling tired, he hadn’t lost weight and was still fighting fit on the golf course and curling rink.
When he was referred to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for scans he travelled alone thinking he would be waiting potentially weeks for the results.
However, the situation suddenly became a lot more urgent.
He said: “At that stage I was thinking ‘It can’t really be cancer, can it?’
“I got the dye pumped into me and got the scans done and then the surgeon confirmed what he first thought, that it was a massive tumour in my colon.
“They said they needed to get me in for an operation the next day, so I said I would be back first thing in the morning but they wanted me up the stairs getting prepped for theatre straight away.”
Mr Thomson spent the next 12 days in hospital in intensive care and the high-dependency unit after getting a six-inch by two-inch tumour removed. Tennis balls normally have a diameter of nearly three inches.
Now, more than a year on from that first diagnosis, he is in remission and is back on the golf course and curling rink – believing he has been lucky in his treatment.
He said: “When you first come home after the chemo you feel pretty good because you’re pumped full of steroids, but after that you’re just totally flat.
“I’ve come through it pretty well though. My fingers and feet tingle though, I have a bit of numbness, and I feel the cold more now.
“But I didn’t have any sickness at all, nothing like that. I was lucky, there are people worse than me.”
Inspiration from previous Brave model
It was friend Garth Lamont who recommended taking part in Brave to Mr Thomson.
The Dunecht Estate slater stepped onto the catwalk last year after being supported through his own cancer battle.
And after enduring six bouts of chemotherapy himself, Mr Thomson is eager to do all he can to support Friends of Anchor – praising the staff as a constant source of support alongside his children Garrie and Katherine, daughter-in-law, Tamara and granddaughter Hope.
He said: “When Garth suggested I put my name forward I didn’t even think. I lost my wife to cancer and supported Friends of Anchor then, so I wanted to do something again.
“It’s really important to have someone there to talk to when you need them. I’m an outgoing person and try to look at the best of things all the time, but some people go into themselves.
“I just want to have a bit of fun and do what we can for the Anchor Unit, because certainly when you first go there and see all the beds for chemo, it can be a daunting thing.
“Sitting there for four and a half hours at a time is a lot, it’s important to make it as comfortable as possible.”
Brave will take place at the Beach Ballroom on May 4 and 5. Tickets for the all-men fashion show are available on the Friends of Anchor’s website HERE.
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