GUNNERS heroine Jen Beattie has bravely revealed how she has been living with breast cancer whilst playing in the top flight in an emotional BBC interview.
And the WSL ace who was diagnosed in October says she “automatically thought the worst” and asked her doctor: “Am I going to die?”
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Arsenal defender Beattie, 29, who has been capped 130 times for Scotland, bravely admitted that she wanted to normalise the conversation around the disease.
Beattie told BBC Football Focus: “I found a lump in my breast. I checked them quite regularly I would say.
“But something just felt a little bit different and after various tests, I got diagnosed with breast cancer at the start of October.
“It kind of does seem like a massive blur.
“It completely caught me totally off guard especially with the way this year (2020) has been.
“You automatically think the worst. I asked the question, ‘Am I going to die?’ that’s what I asked them.
“I was grateful because they allowed my club doctor to be in appointments with me to ask all the right medical questions, because I didn’t have a clue.
“I live a totally healthy lifestyle. I don’t drink, take drugs and I’m a professional sports star and still that can happen.
“It’s one of the reasons I wanted to talk about this. I needed to normalise the conversation.”
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Beattie, who rejoined Arsenal from Manchester City last season has been receiving radiation treatment for her condition.
So far this term the centre-back has made four appearances for Joe Montemurro’s title-chasing Gunners and played in two games for Scotland.
The Arsenal heroine tearfully revealed how her team-mates, who will take on Manchester City, have rallied around her.
And stars from across the women’s game and have been posting messages of support on social media.
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Beattie added: “The girls here were just unbelievable.
“I feel like it’s moments like these or times like these where you realise why you play sport.
“It really is like being part of a family away from family.
“I don’t know what I would have done without them. That’s the staff and the players. They’ve all been unbelievable.
“The support I’ve had down here has got me through it, for sure.”
