Rugby star grieves for sister
Former Scotland rugby international Alasdair Strokosch has spoken of his heartbreak after the death of his sister Marianne to a rare form of breast cancer – aged just 36.
Marianne Strokosch, a primary school teacher, passed away last Wednesday surrounded by her family.
She had fought a twoand-a-half year battle with inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), which affects around just two per cent of every 100 cases of breast cancer, after being diagnosed with a terminal form of the disease in October 2014.
A former Claremont High School pupil, Marianne was a patron of East Kilbride Rugby Club’s youth academy and featured for EK’s ladies team in the mid-1990s.
She moved from East Kilbride to Sheffield in 2012 to pursue her teaching career.
Tragically, she was diagnosed with cancer on the same day she earned her first full-time post.
Devastated brother Alasdair told the News Marianne’s death will leave a huge whole in his life and those of mum Christine, dad Alex and Marianne’s partner Paul.
And he has paid tribute to his brave sister for how she fought the disease.
The 33-year-old said: “Marianne had such a huge personality and it’s going to very difficult for all of the family without her influence on our lives anymore.
“She kept fighting until the very end.
“The amazing thing was she never complained. From the day of her diagnosis she just knuckled down and did everything she could to get through it. None of the doctors thought she’d last very long, but she kept defying them.”
Marianne had one of her breasts and her lymph nodes removed in 2016, but the cancer spread to her brain just before Christmas.
Alasdair, who plays his club rugby in France, flew over to the UK be with his sister during her final days.
He added: “She was always the big sister looking out for her little brother. We got on so well together.”
Marianne’s funeral will be held at South Lanarkshire Crematorium on Friday at 2.45pm. The family have asked attendees to wear a splash of colour to celebrate Marianne’s vibrant personality.