It’s vital and I’m signing up

THIS is a very important development for former players as there can be a tendency not to look for help for medical conditions or look after your health properly once you retire. Thankfully that is changing due to initiatives like this one, which I will be signing up for. A lot of my generation of Scotland players will have been influenced by our late friend Tom Smith, who urged us all to get checked after admitting he had ignored his cancer symptoms to begin with. Even travelling out to the funeral last week, the talk was: ‘Have you hit 50 yet? Have you got checked yet?’. When is the tipping point between thinking you’re a young pup to: ‘Oh, wait a minute, those days are past’? Then you push it a bit further and don’t go to the doctor for whatever is bothering you. Most of the guys at Tom’s funeral were from the Scotland team of 1999. I was one of the younger guys there and we did hear players in their 50s telling others to get checked for whatever is troubling them. The numbers are there for things like cancer. It’s going to happen to people you know, family members, ex-team members. It’s important we get as much research information as possible on cancer, brain problems and dementia. I will definitely be taking this up and getting my ‘brain MOT’. My wife is a child psychiatrist and I know how under-funded mental health has been for decades. To have people doing something about this now, rather than just waiting until it happens and dealing with the consequences, should be applauded. The Brain Health Clinic at BT Murrayfield is a fantastic step forward. None of us are getting any younger and no one knows what is around the corner so it’s best to be as prepared as you can be. Brain health and physical health go hand in hand — and the more we understand this area, the more support we can give players of earlier generations and those who are playing in future years once they retire.