A DUNDEE dad today revealed how a sponsored hill walk with his son’s football team may have inadvertently saved his life.
Barry Morton, 40, of Menzieshill, will always have the scars from his battle with bowel cancer, which subsequently spread to his liver.
But it is a walk which will forever stay in his heart, with the father-of-two thanking the team for helping him realise that he was unwell.
Barry, whose son Josh plays for Dryburgh Athletic U13s, said if it had not been for the walk, the disease may have gone undetected and he “might not be here today”.
The avid Dundee United supporter describes himself as a “reasonably fit guy” and along with members of the Dryburgh junior squad, he tried to tackle Loch Brandy, near Glen Clova, in August last year.
The walk would only be the start of a much bigger mountain he would have to overcome. Barry said: “The sponsored walk had been set up to raise funds for Dryburgh Athletic.
“Shortly into the ascent, I was struggling to get my breath and I was gradually falling further and further behind.
“It got to the point where people were saying I looked grey. I remember at the time people were having a joke saying things like I ‘couldn’t take the pace’.
“I was stunned how at badly I was doing, so much so that parents and kids were coming back down and I hadn’t even reached the top.”
The bus driver booked an appointment at the Taybank Medical Centre soon after the walk.
He said: “It had really bugged me that I’d done so badly so I booked an appointment with my doctor straight away.
“I was seen on the Wednesday, a few days after the walk, and the doctor took some blood samples.”
Barry then received a visit at home from his GP.
He added: “It was literally the next day — I was fairly surprised to get a knock on the door from my doctor.
“He said my blood levels were dangerously low and I was taken in to Ninewells straight away.
“I was given a blood transfusion and they initially thought I was anaemic.”
Barry was put through a series of tests as he faced an agonising wait to get some answers.
The former Lawside Academy pupil was given the devastating news he had bowel cancer in early December, with further cancerous cells detected in his liver.
He said: “When I got the news it was cancer, I started to cry. As soon as you hear the word cancer you think that’s it.”
In February, Barry faced nine hours of surgery which meant an agonising wait for his family.
He said: “After the surgery I was kept in the high dependency unit for two weeks.
“It was a real eye-opener being in there but I was eventually allowed home.
“Within a week of being home, I was diagnosed with pneumonia.
“The doctors said they believed they had removed 90% of the cancer and they wanted me to go through chemotherapy.
“By that point I was saying ‘I don’t care what you do, just get this cancer out of my body’.”
Barry started chemotherapy in April and met the final hurdles head-on as he underwent the treatment which finished in July.
The dad is now celebrating being in remission from the disease.
He added: “That hill walk may have saved my life and if I hadn’t taken part I might not be here today.”
As a thank you to Dryburgh U13s, Barry donated £350 towards new equipment for the club.
Barry said he wanted to extend thanks to his surgeon, Mr Francesco Polignano, and his team and all the staff at ward 32 who looked after him.