Olympian Sir Chris Hoy has heartbreakingly shared that he has “two to four years” left to live after a terminal cancer diagnosis.
Back in Febraury, the 48-year-old athlete, who won six golds and one silver medal for Team GB, opened up about his health battles in an emotional post shared on Instagram.
At the time, Hoy penned that he was dealt a "huge shock" when he was diagnosed with his cancer, as he had not had any prior symptoms. He added that he was receiving treatment, including chemotherapy, and that it was "going really well."
The cycling champion, who has written a tell-all memoir about his experience with the disease, was told the gut-wrenching news after a scan of his joint revealed a tumor, according to The Sunday Times.
Two days later, he was faced with more devastating news. A second scan discovered cancer originated in his prostate and had metastasized to his bones, leaving tumors in his shoulder, pelvis, rib, spine, and hip. Hoy soon learned that he had Stage 4 incurable cancer.
The Olympian has now announced that he has been given a terminal cancer diagnosis and has two to four years left to live. “As unnatural as it feels, this is nature,” he told The Sunday Times. “You know, we were all born and we all die, and this is just part of the process."
“You remind yourself, ‘Aren’t I lucky that there is medicine I can take that will fend this off for as long as possible’. But most of the battle for me with cancer hasn’t been physical. For me, it has been in my head," he added.
The Scotland-born cyclist made his Olympic debut at the 2000 Sydney Games. He is Scotland’s most successful Olympian and has the second-most gold medals of any Brit behind Jason Kenny.
Hoy disclosed that his cancer diagnosis wasn’t the only devastating news his family received last year, as his wife also found that she had a “very active and aggressive” case of multiple sclerosis.
"It's the closest I’ve come to, like, you know, why me? Just, what? What’s going on here? It didn’t seem real," Hoy told the outlet. "It was such a huge blow, when you're already reeling."
"You think nothing could possibly get worse. You literally feel like you're at rock bottom, and you find out, oh no, you've got further to fall. It was brutal," he said.
Even though both Chris and Sarra, who share two children aged seven and 10, face tough blows, the legendary athlete told the newspaper, "I still feel like we're lucky."
"I'm not trying to pretend that every day is amazing. But I have genuine moments of joy. I have laughter," Hoy explained. "I'm not thinking about it all the time. I'm back to my old self."
The news has led to many on social media expressing their well wishes. "Desperately sad news. One of the greatest British Olympians - an unbelievable competitor. My heart goes out to him and his family. Devastating," one user said.
"Sometimes life feels so unfair when you read about Sir Chris and his wife, but showing incredible resolve and openness," another added.
Hoy’s upcoming memoir, All That Matters: My Toughest Race Yet, will be released on November 7.
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