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'I got a pain in my side... a few weeks later I was told I had leukaemia' - Dad-of-two (54) receives cancer blow

Eddie Gott spoke to Independent.ie at the launch of Blood Cacner Awareness Month, which takes place this month. Expand

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Eddie Gott spoke to Independent.ie at the launch of Blood Cacner Awareness Month, which takes place this month.

Eddie Gott spoke to Independent.ie at the launch of Blood Cacner Awareness Month, which takes place this month.

Eddie Gott spoke to Independent.ie at the launch of Blood Cacner Awareness Month, which takes place this month.

Geraldine Gittens Twitter Email

Father-of-two Eddie Gott (54) only had one warning sign. A pain in his side. Never did he think that he might have anything serious, let alone cancer.

"Because I work in a hospital, I went for a blood test thinking that the Crohn’s had played up on me,” he tells Independent.ie.

“They told me to go on an antibiotic for six weeks. And after that, they did a blood test again, and the blood levels had gone higher again.”

Eddie from Cashel, Co Tipperary who works in the central decontamination unit in a hospital, sterilising hospital equipment after it is used in surgery, was told shortly after the blood test in 2010 that he had Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia.

“It was a fright. I thought Leukaemia was a childhood disease. I didn’t know that adults could get it as well. I got down in myself and depressed.”

“They caught it in the early stages, so it was tablet form that I had to take for five years. I remember the tiredness more than anything else, but that’s part of blood cancer as well.”

Now that he's finished his treatment, his pervading message to anyone who is dealing with a cancer diagnosis and treatment, is to where possible, find an outlet that will keep their mind focused.

His own life got back on track, he says, when he joined the gym.

“I kept working because it kept my head occupied. It took my mind off the cancer because if I was sitting at home thinking about it…" he muses. "The health and fitness thing helped me as well, to keep my mind occupied.”

“I was four years going through depression and feeling low in myself, to coming to a realisation that there’s more to life than sitting at home and feeling sorry for myself. I’m not much good at painting or building, so I started running and I started running 5ks, but I was having pains in my knees. So then I started going to a gym at CSC Xtreme in Cashel and I asked Dan if he’d give me training."

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“At six weeks I could feel a difference, I was feeling different, I was looking different. I went from 92kg to 81kg in six months. I kept it up and then a personal training course became available to me online. I applied for it, got it and haven’t looked back since.”

He added: “The gym would be a great help to me. If people have a gym or running or some kind of fitness, that helps. My diet and fitness were a great focus for me."

Life is looking great for Eddie - doctors have told him his odds are good.

“My doctors told me that every one in three people will never get it back, she thinks I could be in that category, but I’ll always have to have blood tests every three months.”

“I feel great. If people see my story and the way I am and the way I look, they’ll see there is another side to it, it’s not all doom and gloom. I’m hoping my story will help people. I feel great. I’ve just had a grandchild and I’m looking forward to being there for my grandchild’s future.”

“I’m still up and down to Dublin because of having CML. They can’t cure it but they can control it.”

He added: “If I can live a healthy lifestyle, it would help me. Maybe I might live a bit longer. That was a big thing for me.”

Eddie Gott was speaking to Independent.ie at the launch of the Make Blood Cancer Visible campaign, a collaboration between the Irish Cancer Society, Multiple Myeloma Ireland, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia Ireland and Janssen Sciences Ireland, which aims to generate more awareness of blood cancers and support those affected by the disease.

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