Ex-Man Utd trainee Joe Thompson diagnosed with cancer for 3rd time & says ‘aggressive’ lymphoma has spread to his lungs
FORMER footballer and Manchester United trainee Joe Thompson has revealed he's been diagnosed with cancer for a third time.
The 35-year-old was first told he had Hodgkin lymphoma in 2013.
Thompson recovered after treatment but it returned four years later.
The ex-Rochdale midfielder then beat cancer again before making a stunning return to the beautiful game.
After retiring in 2019, he then moved into the world of public speaking.
However, Thompson revealed he has now been diagnosed for a third time with Hodgkin lymphoma.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester, he explained how the "aggressive" lymphoma is already at stage four.
It has also spread to his lungs, making it difficult to breathe and sleep.
And although it "hurts" to get another diagnosis, Thompson has vowed to battle against it and win again.
He said: “It’s far from ideal and it's come back quite aggressive, so stage four.
“The only positive is it is the same cancer as what I've had previously, but the issue for me this time is its gone on to my lungs, so breathing is a problem, sleeping is difficult and even talking sometimes can be quite hard.
“You’ve only got a certain amount of time on this earth. I always think you want to make the biggest impact you can possibly do on so many lives as possible.
“That’s where I’m at so I’ve got to lead from the front. I’m going to need cavalry and I’m ready for them to rise up and we’ll just get through it again, and then we look at the future.
“Definitely the fight is still inside, nothing changes, but actually facing it for the third time really hurts because you know what you are going to have to go through.”
THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..
The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheSunFootball and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunFootball.