Darts champ Dennis^ cancer battle support
TWICE World Champion darts player Dennis ^The Menace^ Priestley has revealed he is battling cancer.
Dennis, 58, from Mexborough, was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year and has been having radiotherapy at Weston Park Hospital.
The arrows ace had surgery followed by radiotherapy treatment and is now waiting to find out the outcome.
However, the dad-of-four remains upbeat.
He told The Star: "I feel fine at the moment. It is a shock for anyone to be told it^s the ^big C^ and you think it^s virtually a death sentence.
"But having had treatment, and through talking to the specialists, I know it^s not necessarily all doom and gloom."
Dennis added: "My first specialist told me he had patients he was still seeing 12 years after treatment. Obviously, it^s different for everyone and some deal with it better than others.
"For now I am waiting to see and trying to spread the word to other men to get seen to and get sorted out. I was getting up more often in the night - and that^s sometimes a sign. It^s not always cancer but it^s worth getting checked."
But health problems have not preventing Dennis from going back to work and he recently competed in the Ladbrokes World Darts Championships, at Alexandra Palace.
He has become a firm supporter of the Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity, which raises funds for research, and is now to become a patron.
"We are very lucky to have Weston Park," said Dennis. "It is one of the UK^s leading centres for cancer treatment.
"We all need to do what we can to raise funds to help keep it there and make things better for everyone with cancer in our region.
"This is obviously very close to my heart and I am honoured to have the opportunity to be able support the charity and make a difference."
Rachel Thorpe, director of the Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity said: "We are delighted Dennis has honoured us by becoming a patron and would like to thank him for taking time to help us in our fundraising."
Story By: Th Star
http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/Darts-champ-Dennis39-cancer-battle.4945714.jp