Rangers legend Andy Goram has been given just six months to live after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
The former goalkeeper was given the devastating diagnosis after first feeling unwell around seven weeks ago.
Goram initially turned down chemotherapy as doctors said it would only give him an extra 12 weeks but the 58-year-old has now said he'll put everything he has into battling the disease.
He told the Daily Record: "I’ll fight like I’ve never fought before.”
The Ibrox icon - nicknamed The Goalie - began struggling to eat and drink and thought he was suffering from heartburn just over two months ago.
He ignored the symptoms after failing to get a face-to-face appointment with his GP in Coatbridge.
It was only when the pain became unbearable and he noticed how thin he’d become that he called the surgery.
He was told to go to Monklands Hospital for a scan and was then transferred to Wishaw General the following morning.
Goram, who spent seven years at Ibrox and is considered by many to be Rangers’ greatest ever goalkeeper, realised his condition was serious when medical staff advised him to ask his family to attend.
He said: “I thought I had severe indigestion. It was as though my gullet was blocked. After a few weeks, it got worse and nothing was getting through.
"Everything I ate or drank didn’t get halfway to my stomach and I threw it back up.
“I couldn’t get a face-to-face with my GP for two weeks, by which time I was in total agony. I’d also lost 4st in four weeks.”
He added: “I had a CT scan at Monklands, then was rushed to Wishaw General and told my next of kin should be with me.
“That is when the alarm bells started ringing. I realised I had cancer.”
Goram was diagnosed with Level 4 oesophageal cancer.
The illness has spread to his liver, right lung, three vertebrae and ribs.
The NHS website says oesophageal cancer is linked to a patient’s lifestyle.
Symptoms include difficulty swallowing, heartburn, and indigestion.
Goram’s son Danny was by his side when a doctor broke the news that his condition was terminal.
The nine-in-a-row hero said: “The surgeon explained where all the cancer was and it was inoperable. Danny broke down while I was trying to assess the situation.
“The word ‘inoperable’ hit me hard. I knew I was in for a fight.”
The specialist predicted Goram had about six months to live – and nine if he underwent chemo.
However, he quickly dismissed the treatment option after witnessing how ill it made his ex-wife Miriam, who battled cancer last year.
Goram, who signed for Rangers for £1million from Hibs in 1991, added: “The specialist said if I take the chemotherapy, I’ve an average of nine months to go – an average.
“If I don’t take the chemo, I have an average of six.
“After seeing what it did to Miriam, my decision was made after chats with her and Danny.
“Take chemotherapy and be in agony for the sake of an extra three months and zero quality of life?
"No thanks. Chemotherapy is off the menu.
“Miriam had six chemotherapy treatments and three radiography sessions. It was hellish.
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“Her partner Dale had to carry her up and down the stairs for weeks.
“But she had a goal because now she’s more or less beat it.
“My problem is there was no exit door for me to fight for.”
Goram, who won six league titles and five cups at Ibrox, was told to go to Monklands Hospital on April 21 for his scan.
He was then rushed to Wishaw General before being transferred to Hairmyres Hospital where he was an inpatient until May 13.
However, a setback saw him readmitted to hospital before being discharged a second time.
He described the ordeal as the “worst period of my life”.
The ex-Scotland keeper said: “The pain was off the scale.
“They had to put a stent in my oesophagus to unblock the cancer blockage and help me swallow again. The operation was a total success yet the pain was still unbearable.
“I’ve been in bad pain with all my knee operations and a snapped achilles. But this pain was horrendous.
“Now the priority was to get the right mixture and strength of painkillers along with morphine.
“I’ve been given other drugs I’m not attempting to pronounce. Getting all these pills hit home just how serious this situation is. I need to take my medication religiously or I’m in big trouble.
“I’ve been told by the doc, ‘Go enjoy your everyday life and be as normal as possible’.
“My pain is manageable. I can still go see friends and supporters’ clubs and still be myself.
“I’ll be here as long as I possibly can.
“The only difference is the timebomb ticking away.”
