Portsmouth Premier League hero facing cancer battle as former Newcastle United and West Ham United man fights disease
The man who helped Pompey return to the Premier League and is now an ESPN pundit has fired an important message over testing, after being diagnosed with cancer.
Pompey Premier League hero Shaka Hislop is battling prostate cancer.
The man who played a key role in Harry Redknapp’s side reaching the top flight in 2003, has confirmed he’s fighting a ‘fairly aggressive’ form of the disease.
Shaka Hislop fighting prostate cancer
But the former Trinidad & Tobago international is confident regular testing has saved his life - as he urged others to take the same steps he did over his health.
The 56-year-old revealed he underwent treatment after being diagnosed with prostate cancer last year, before further tests detected it had spread to his pelvic bone.
The led to Hislop taking further medication and a course of radiation treatment he has now completed, with the former Newcastle and West Ham man optimistic about his outlook.
Speaking on Instagram, the man who made exactly 100 Pompey appearances detailed the journey he’s been through and is continuing.
Hislop said: ‘I have a story to tell.
‘Roughly 18 months ago, I went for my annual physical and insisted on a PSA test, as I always do. This time around though my PSA was elevated.
‘An MRI and biopsy quickly determined that I had a fairly aggressive prostate cancer. A year ago, almost to the day, December 6 to be exact, I had a radical prostatectomy. And I thought that was it.
‘But then, six months later, my PSA was again on the rise and another scan showed that my prostate cancer had spread to my pelvic bone.
‘I started on medication pretty soon after, and just this morning completed seven-and-a-half weeks of radiation therapy. The journey continues.’
Pompey hero Hislop: ‘Testing saves lives. It saved mine’
The PSA test Hislop undertook is not mandatory in the UK, with the languid character stressing urgency in screening for those in higher-risk age categories. That equates to regular testing for those over 50, with it being over 40 for those of African descent.
Hislop added: ‘Doctors recommend that all men over the age of 50 get their PSA checked regularly. If you’re of African descent, that age drops to 40.
‘If you’re somewhere like the UK or somewhere else where PSA tests aren’t encouraged, you have got to insist.
‘Having a history of cancer in the family doesn’t matter. I had genetic testing done and it showed no traits in my family, yet this year would show that, without going into too much detail, even that didn’t exclude everybody in my immediate family.
‘The highest rate of prostate cancer mortality is in Caribbean men, so allow me to speak to my community, my people. Please, go get tested. Know your PSA, track its history.
‘Prostate cancer is survivable if caught early enough. There are treatments for it. Testing saves lives. It saved mine.’