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Sir Chris Hoy has called for the NHS screening age for prostate cancer to be lowered, saying the move could save “millions of lives,” as well as reflecting on his own terminal diagnosis.
Hoy, 48, first disclosed that he had cancer in an Instagram post in February before revealing last month that he has been given between two and four years to live.
Speaking to the BBC in an interview released on Tuesday, Hoy said: “If you’ve got family history of it like I have, if you’re over the age of 45, go and ask your doctor. I’ve got a friend who, when I told him my news early on confidentially, he went and got a PSA test and it turned out he had cancer. He’s had treatment and he’s been given the all-clear.”
He added: “Catch it before you need to have any major treatment. To me it seems a no-brainer. Reduce the age, allow more men to just go in and get a blood test.
“Maybe people seeing this or hearing about my story — just by them asking their GP — will create enough of a surge of interest that people that make the decisions will go ‘you know what, we need to address this’. And in the long term this will save potentially millions of lives.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting told the BBC on Tuesday that the government are looking at lowering the screening age.
Hoy is planning a bike ride in 2025 for people with stage four cancer that he hopes will raise awareness of the disease.
“I’m not saying everybody’s in the same boat but there’s hope out there,” Hoy said. “Look at me now, six months on from finishing chemo and I’m riding my bike every day, I’m in the gym, I’m physically active, I’m not in pain. When people talk about battles with cancer, for me the biggest battle is between your ears.
“It’s the mental struggle, it’s the challenge to try and deal with these thoughts, deal with the implications of the news you’re given. Your life is turned upside down with one sentence. You’ve walked in one person and you walk out as another person.
“When you hear terminal illness, terminal cancer, you just have this image in your head of what it is, what it’s going to be like. And everybody’s different, and not everybody is given the time that I’ve been given — and that’s why I feel lucky. We genuinely feel lucky, as crazy as that might sound, because we’ve got the time.”
Hoy is one of Britain’s sporting icons. He was knighted after winning three gold medals at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. He was named the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year in 2008 and appeared on the broadcaster’s coverage of the Games in Paris this summer.
“I’ve hoped it’s going to help other people, not just people who are going through a similar situation to me or families going through a similar situation, but for anyone in life to try and understand that no matter what challenges you’re facing, you can get through them. And it doesn’t mean that there’s going to be a happy ending, I’m not delusional,” Hoy said.
“I know what the end result will be. Nobody lives forever. Our time on this planet is finite. Don’t waste your time worrying about stuff that isn’t that important. Focus on the things that are important, focus on your family, the people in your life. Do that thing that you’ve always planned to do one day, why not do it today.
“My perspective on life has changed massively. I am more thankful, I’m more grateful for each day. It’s been a tough year and it’s going to be tough ahead in the future too but for now, right here right now, we’re doing pretty well.”