LEGEND’S HEARTACHE
IT IS business as usual for Jimmy Calderwood. He is the same today as he was yesterday and will be tomorrow. The 62-year-old sat in front of the press and the cameras in Glasgow and looked fit and well, yet the smile and tanned complexion masked t he problems within. Two years after his diagnosis, Calderwood revealed he has Alzheimer’s Disease.
The former Dunfermline, Aberdeen, Kilmarnock and Ross County boss has never shirked a challenge in the game but now he is facing a step into the unknown.
With partner Yvonne by his side, Calderwood spoke of the emotional conversations with family and friends as he came to terms with his diagnosis, yet also of his hope that his public appearance will help others in the battle against the neurodegenerative disease.
“Strangely, it hasn’t been too bad,” Calderwood said. “I’ve just got on with things. That’s life.
“I’ve had a wonderful life in football, I’ve been all over the world 10 times and it hasn’t cost me a ha’penny, which isn’t bad for a wee boy from Govan.”
Football is all Calderwood has known since he began his career in the 1970s. In some of his toughest moments, he chose not to confide with those he had shared a dressing room with. Now, he has opened up.
“I don’t really know why,” Calderwood said. “I think in the beginning I was maybe a little bit scared or something.
“But I just need to get on with it. I would like to encourage people to come forward and talk about it.
“Yes, you try and hide it. The message to others is not to be afraid to come forward and talk about it. ”
THAT was the theme central to Calderwood’s words. He won’t shy away from the disease, won’t keep his emotions to himself and this was another step in a tough journey. It is one he started some time ago.
His revelations would have shocked friends and colleagues both in and out of the game, but the talks with those nearest to him were difficult.
“We sat down and told them,” Calderwood said. “What can you do? It’s no use sitting about. You just get it done. You’ve still got a life. That’s the most important thing. It’s a lot harder for everyone else than the individual.”
Calderwood is the latest Scottish football figure to be diagnosed with dementia and the correlation between the game and the illness will continue to be examined. It is the here and now that he is dealing with, though.
“I’m not really a person who is scared of anything,” he said. “I will just get on with life and we will see how it goes.”
Life has changed forever for Calderwood but he has a new normality. He keeps himself fit and will spend the coming days on holiday in Cape Verde.
Football will never be far from his heart and the game that shaped his past will continue to play a part in his future.
“I bought season tickets for Ibrox,” Calderwood said. “I think I should take them back, by the way. I can’t believe I’ve spent money on it…”
The wider world now knows what he is dealing with. There will undoubtedly be wellwishes and an outpouring of emotion, but he hopes attitudes won’t change.
He said: “I hope people when they see me don’t say: ‘There’s Calderwood, I don’t want to talk to him.’ I would hope people would treat me the same as they always have.”
nyone concerned about dementia, or to find out about help or support in your local area, call Alzheimer Scotland’s Freephone Dementia Helpline on 0808 808 3000