Sir Chris Hoy has revealed his campaign for early cancer screening has given him a “purpose and drive” that he hasn’t felt since aiming for Olympic Gold medals.
Scotland’s most decorated Olympian won six golds and a silver and was world champion 11 times. He admitted his outlook on life has changed since his terminal cancer diagnosis last year.
Sir Chris, who discovered he has stage 4 cancer which has metastasised from his prostate, has been given “two to four years to live” but says he has realised the important things in life and is dedicated to spending what time he has left campaigning to persuade people get a PSA test done at their GP.
Sir Chris said: “A year on, I genuinely feel as though I've made that progress. I've kind of got through the difficult six months. We've accepted what's happened and we've moved on and it's, you know, it's a stage four diagnosis, so it's with me for the rest of my life.
"But do you know what? None of us live forever. So you’ve got to crack on and you find ways to be positive, to hope, to have hope. I was in a bad way for a while, but with the support of Sarra, my wife, and really good friends and family around me, you get through it and you can get through it."
Of his drive to raise awareness of early cancer detection, Sir Chris added: “This is a purpose and a drive that I've not felt since I was aiming for Olympic gold.
“You feel lucky to have had that one focus in your life. Your one purpose and you accept in sport it lasts so long and that's it, that's your window and then the rest of your life… I wasn't trying to chase that feeling, I accept that, nothing's going to be quite the same as that - but there's loads of exciting things to do in life and to pursue and roles to play.
“But this is like nothing else. It's beyond Olympics, that's for sure. I’m feeling fit and strong. I’ve got a whole new purpose now.”
During an interview on Virgin Radio’s Chris Evans Breakfast Show with The National Lottery, he said he no longer worries about the small things in life.
“None of us live forever,” Sir Chris said. “This is the wake up call for me. You know, it's not as if we had an infinite life and I found out I don't.
“We all know the facts of life. But we live as if we're going to live forever, we act as if we're going to live forever, we let small things get to us. We worry about stupid stuff of which 90% never actually happens.
“For me the biggest thing that I've changed is not worrying and not focusing on stupid stuff, things that really were irrelevant and that might not happen. But you worry, you try and predict the future to try and look ahead.
“You try and think what's going to happen and at the heart of your life. Have you got a family around you that you love? Are you taking care of these people? Are you living life to the fullest?
“It doesn't mean you have to go every single day and go and climb a mountain or do something huge or crazy, it’s the small things, genuinely.
“I almost went away from this feeling of bucket list, massive things to the opposite. Being at home, spending time with the kids, making a coffee, doing the barbecue, riding my bike, going out in the car, on the racetrack, doing things that you love. Small things.”
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