“Get tested” – former Port Vale manager urges fans to get check-ups after cancer diagnosis
Former Port Vale manager Brian Horton has revealed he is getting treatment for prostate cancer as he urged fans to “get tested”
Horton, who led the Valiants to victory in the LDV Vans Trophy final in 2001, the club’s second major Trophy win told the BBC: “Dr Sally Harris asked me questions about whether I had cancer in the family and I said my grandma, my mum and my brother, who’s got cancer as we speak. She referred me to Stepping Hill for a full body scan. That’s when they found out I’d got prostate cancer. When I had been diagnosed I didn’t know what to do. It’s that word, the big C.”
He said that a conversation with Luton Town legend Mick Harford changed his mind about keeping quiet recalling: “I said I didn’t know what to do, I don’t know whether to keep it quiet.
“He said to me, because he’s some character, ‘I think you’re totally wrong. You’ve got to put it out. There are people that hold you in such high esteem – Brighton, Luton, Man City, Port Vale fans – if you put it out it could lead to people being tested and if they’ve got it, it’s caught early.’
“It’s done me good to think I’ve helped other people.”
Horton message to others is: “It’s just about getting the word out to get tested, no matter how old you are. I’m saying to my younger ones they should get tested. If you haven’t got it, fine, if you have got it then it can spread through your body, that’s why they want to catch it early enough.
“If anyone wants to lean on me who’s out there and they want to get in touch or find out more about it, then I’m willing to do whatever I can. The message is basically to go and get tested.”