Comedian Rhod Gilbert has said he is "hopeful" about the future in his latest health update after being diagnosed with stage four cancer earlier this year. Speaking to the BBC recently, the comic recalled when he first noticed was wrong when he had lumps 'popping up in places they shouldn't'.
In the interview with BBC Radio Wales on Friday (Dec 9), he said: "I had a terribly sore throat, tightness through my neck." The 54 year old also had to cancel several of his live shows back in spring. "I was having to cancel shows because I couldn't breathe, I was having all sorts of problems and we couldn't get to the bottom of it."
In May his symptoms worsened while abroad in Cuba as he led a trek to raise funds for the Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff - the same health centre he is now being treated, as reported by Wales Online.
READ MORE: BBC Strictly fans slam schedule switch after 'school night' semi-final
"I noticed lumps started popping up in places they shouldn't be. It turns out I've got stage four cancer," he added. Upon arriving back home after his trek, Rhod says he contracted covid. "I came home with cancer and covid from a Velindre fundraising trek... the irony of that. I went as a Velindre patron and came home as a patient," he said.
The comic said although he is unsure as to whether his chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery for his cancer has worked, he is feeling "happy, positive and optimistic", adding: "I'm feeling good and feel like I'm recovering day-by-day."
If his treatment has gone well, the Welshman says he will only need check-ups: "If it hasn't worked as well as I've hoped, then maybe I'll have to go back for more treatment." He also hinted at the possibility of doing a show again in the future: "The things people say when they find out you've got cancer... people panic. There's a lot of humour in it. Hopefully, I'm going to jot it all down and one day bring it to the stage."
While praising the staff at the Velindre Cancer Centre - which he has been a patron of for nearly 10 years - Rhod told he BBC: "[I] can't imagine there's a better place in the world to be treated... The care I'm having is beyond words."
READ NEXT:
- Two drinks to avoid and one thing to do before bed to sleep well after drinking
- King's Mill Hospital maternity ward staffing levels 'horrendous', say midwives
- 15 children die from Strep A infection in UK this winter, latest figures show
- Health bosses urge Nottinghamshire public to get Covid booster to 'top up immunity' before Christmas
- Singer Celine Dion diagnosed with incurable rare disease which leaves sufferers like 'human statues'
