Sir Chris Hoy has told his children the "basics" of his cancer diagnosis.
Sir Chris Hoy has told his children the 'basics' of his cancer diagnosis
The 48-year-old Olympian - who has Callum, 10, and seven-year-old Chloe with wife Sarra - revealed earlier this year that he was undergoing chemotherapy for cancer and noted that the treatment was going "really well" at the time but then announced that his condition is terminal, and he has admitted it was important to make his brood aware that he would feel “unwell”.
Speaking on UK TV show 'Lorraine', he said: "We've told them the basics of it. Before I went into chemotherapy, we explained what was happening and we weren't sure how I was going to respond to chemo, but it was important to let the kids know that I was going to be unwell, but it was the medicine that was going to make me feel unwell."
During his treatment, Chris' wife decided to create a picture of a blossom tree and have the children put a piece on it every day so they could "visualise" what their father was going through.
He said: "Sarra made a little blossom tree and every day during chemo they put a blossom onto it and at the very end of chemo, the tree had regrown. And they had a lovely time putting that on each day. In the difficult times during chemo, you can see that the tree is really growing. They could visualise it."
The sports legend has written the new book 'All That Matters' about his health battle and has been "overwhelmed" by the positive response to it.
He said: "It's been an overwhelming response to it. So many people getting in touch, so many people going to their doctor for checkups. As men, we're pretty guilty of not putting health at the top of our priority list.
"It wasn't easy to write, it was a very cathartic process to go through but obviously it was a very personal story. It wasn't supposed to be a 'poor me' story, it's about being positive and saying that you can find hope from a really dark situation. But I'm genuinely blown away by the response to it."
Chris announced in October that he has "two to four" years to live but had found solace in the fact that he had been "given enough time" to deal with things.
He told The Sunday Times: "When you realise, God, this has been going on since the beginning of time. 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.
"[Sometimes there is] no chance to say goodbyes or make peace with everything. But I’ve been given enough time."
Doctors first found a tumour in Sir Chris's shoulder, and then a second scan discovered primary cancer in his prostate, which metastasised to his pelvis, ribs, spine and ribs.
The former track cyclist and racing driver - who is an 11-time world champion and a six-time Olympic champion – is left tired and weak from his medication but insists that he is "lucky" to be receiving treatment in the first place, although he won't be looking at the whole situation with a sense of cockeyed optimism.
He said: "But 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 I’m not just saying these words. I’ve learnt to live in the moment, and I have days of genuine joy and happiness.
"It’s absolutely not denial or self-delusion. It’s about trying to recognise, what do we have control over?"