 | | Cancer: Colin Bell |
Colin Bell’s autobiography Reluctant Hero was published in October 2005 and was quickly on the Christmas list of City fans of a certain generation. It’s not hard to see why. Bell was the Steven Gerrard of his day: a modest yet majestic midfielder for club and country, blessed with supreme athleticism who could score a lot of goals. He was the lynchpin of that great City side of the late 60s and early 70s that won the League title, FA Cup, League Cup and European Cup Winners’. Bell was recently voted City’s greatest player of all time by the fans, and even has a stand named in his honour at the City of Manchester stadium. Cancer concernOne man who was given the book that Christmas was Jim Hill, a colorectal surgeon at Manchester Royal Infirmary. He noticed that Bell’s mother died of bowel cancer at the young age of 39. By coincidence, Colin's son was also working at the MRI as a trainee surgeon and Jim had a quiet word, suggesting that his father should come in and get tested. | "If it was left untreated then I think what Colin had would have turned into a bowel cancer. I'm just pleased he's come through this fine" | | Jim Hill, Colin Bell's surgeon |
Colin says it was a shocking message to receive: but it led to an early diagnosis of an aggressive form of bowel cancer. "I was checked over by Mr Hill who said it was nothing serious, come back and see us in a week’s time - we might have to do something. I went back, after chatting to my wife thinking I might need an operation this October. And Mr Hill said: ‘Yes you do need an operation. I’m thinking about next week." Adding: "From having the scan to having the operation took about three weeks. Which was a real culture shock. It wasn’t until a few weeks after the operation that I started to take it in." Relieved | | Bell: supreme athlete |
Colin’s surgeon Jim Hill says if he hadn’t read the book, he would never have known about the bowel cancer in Bell’s family history. He says he’s just pleased with how it’s all turned out: "If it was left untreated then I think the natural history of what Colin had would have turned into a bowel cancer and if you develop a cancer then there’s a risk of succumbing to that." "I’m just pleased that someone who is a City legend has come through this fine." | 
