Goram vows to fight on after scan reveals terminal cancer
Former Scotland goalkeeper given only six months to live Rangers’ ‘greatest’ thought he just had severe indigestion
Andy Goram, the former Rangers and Scotland goalkeeper, says he will “fight like I’ve never fought before” after a terminal cancer diagnosis gave him six months to live.
Goram, 58, who also had a spell on loan at Manchester United in 2001, has turned down chemotherapy because he believes it would have given him only another 12 weeks. He initially thought he had “severe indigestion”, but a scan at Monklands Hospital, in North Lanarkshire, revealed he had level four oesophageal cancer.
In an interview with the Daily Record newspaper, Goram said he had been told the cancer was terminal. “I’ll be here as long as I possibly can,” he said. “I’ll fight like I’ve
never fought before. The only difference is the time bomb ticking away.” Goram started his career with Oldham Athletic then Hibernian, but is best remembered for playing for Rangers during a trophyladen era in the 1990s.
A 2001 poll of Rangers fans voted him the club’s greatest goalkeeper.
He played 43 times for Scotland and was selected for the 1986 and 1990 World Cups, as well Euro ’92 and Euro ’96. Goram also represented Scotland at cricket.
“I thought I had severe indigestion,” he said of his initial illness. “It was as though my gullet was blocked. After a few weeks, it got worse and nothing was getting through. 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 four stone in four weeks.
“I had a CT scan at Monklands, then was rushed to Wishaw General and told my next of kin should be with me. Alarm bells started ringing. I realised I had cancer.”
At Rangers, Goram won five Scottish Premier Division titles, three Scottish Cups and two League Cups. He had his loan spell with Manchester United during their 2000–01 title run-in, playing in two games.
Explaining his decision to turn down chemotherapy, he added: “Take chemotherapy and be in agony for the sake of an extra three months and zero quality of life? No thanks.”