Olympic cycling legend Sir Chris Hoy has said that his cancer is incurable and that he has just ‘two to four years’ left to live.
The 48-year-old – who won six Olympic gold medals for Team GB between 2004 and 2012 – revealed in February that he had been diagnosed with cancer.
In a statement published to Instagram, Hoy described himself as ‘optimistic’ and ‘positive’.
However, he announced this week in an interview with The Times that his cancer was terminal – and that he had known this for over a year.
Despite this, Hoy insists that he still feels very ‘lucky’.
Sir Chris Hoy, pictured in 2012 after winning two gold medals at the Olympic Games in London, has revealed that his cancer is terminal
Hoy married wife Sarra in 2010 and they have two children together.
Both children were born prematurely. Son Callum was 11 weeks early in 2014, before daughter Chloe arrived four weeks ahead of schedule.
Against the odds, Callum and Chloe are now both perfectly healthy.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of their parents. In additional to Hoy’s cancer, Sarra has multiple sclerosis.
But Hoy told The Times:Â ‘I still feel like we’re lucky.’
Hoy’s cancer was discovered after a trip to the doctor in September last year when the Scot was feeling a strain in his shoulder.
A tumour was then discovered in his shoulder, before a second scan located the primary cancer in his prostate.
The prostate cancer had metastasised to Hoy’s bones – spreading into his shoulder, pelvis, ribs, spine and ribs.
In his brave interview, he said: ‘As unnatural as it feels, this is nature.
‘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.’
Hoy added that he had told his children that no-one lives forever but defiantly proclaimed that he hopes to ‘be here for many, many more years’.Â
