Former Bristol Rovers defender Nick Anderton has shared the uplifting news that he is now free from bone cancer.
At the age of 27, Anderton faced a challenging journey, enduring 28 weeks of chemotherapy and undergoing surgery to remove a portion of his femur and knee following his diagnosis with the illness in July 2022.
In April of this year, he made the difficult decision to retire from professional football. However, the latest medical scans have brought positive tidings, indicating that the cancer is no longer active.
Anderton said in a social media post: “Not how I imagined my mid-20s to pan out but it is what it is. Never did I think a sore knee would turn out to be bone cancer. I don’t think it’s really possible to put into words how the last year has been but I’m blessed to still be here battling on.
— Nick Anderton (@nickanderton_) September 1, 2023
“Full knee, along with 12cm of my femur replaced with metal, I got to keep my knee cap though! Twenty-eight weeks of chemotherapy and 36 weeks of another drug which is classed as an antibiotic. Close to 70 nights stayed in hospital, a few infections thrown in there just to keep me on my toes.
“My first lot of scans have come back with the best possible news I could have hoped for, no sign of active disease. This journey is by no means over as the cancer can return and I’m going to be checked every few months for the foreseeable.
“I just wanted to let people know and more importantly thank everybody for everything over the last year. The messages I’ve received, the donations to the Go Fund Me and the all-round support has been unbelievable.
“I’m going to try and enjoy some normal life with my family now and make the best memories whilst trying to figure out what’s next.”