Rangers legend and former Manchester United goalkeeper, Andy Goram has been given six months to live after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
The 58-year-old reportedly turned down chemotherapy after being told it would only give him another 12 weeks.
Goram initially mistook his illness for bad indigestion, but a scan at Monklands Hospital revealed he had level four oesophageal cancer.
Speaking to the Daily Record, Goram said: ‘I thought I had severe indigestion. It was as though my gullet was blocked. After a few weeks, it got worse and nothing was getting through.
‘Everything I ate or drank didn’t get halfway to my stomach and I threw it back up. I couldn’t get a face-to-face with my GP for two weeks, by which time I was in total agony. I’d also lost four stone in four weeks.’
‘I had a CT scan at Monklands, then was rushed to Wishaw General and told my next of kin should be with me. That is when the alarm bells started ringing. I realised I had cancer.’
He continued: ‘The surgeon explained where all the cancer was and it was inoperable. I knew I was in for a fight. If I don’t take the chemo, I have an average of six months.’
‘Take chemotherapy and be in agony for the sake of an extra three months and zero quality of life? No thanks. Chemotherapy is off the menu.
‘They had to put a stent in my oesophagus to unblock the cancer blockage and help me swallow again. The operation was a total success yet the pain was still unbearable.’
Goram is now looking to make the remainder of his life as bearable as possible. He said: ‘Now the priority is to get the right mixture and strength of painkillers along with morphine.
‘I’ve been given other drugs I’m not attempting to pronounce. Getting all these pills hit home just how serious this situation is. I need to take my medication religiously or I’m in big trouble.’
‘My pain is manageable. I can still go see friends and supporters’ clubs and still be myself.
‘I’ll be here as long as I possibly can. I’ll fight like I’ve never fought before. The only difference is the timebomb ticking away.’
The former goalkeeper played 184 times for Rangers, winning five league titles and three Scottish cups. He was a favourite of Alex Ferguson, who gave the keeper his first of 43 Scotland caps in 1985 and signed him on loan at Manchester United in 2000.