A cancer beating martial arts teacher has clinched a European title
after fighting testicular cancer that threatened to ruin his taekwondo
career.
Former Hearts FC
and Dunfermline Athletic
player Peter Pryde became the European veteran champion at finals in
Italy earlier this month.
He celebrated the win on his 42nd birthday earlier this month after
undergoing radiotherapy for the cancer he was diagnosed with two years
ago.
Peter, a joiner at Napier
University, has been passionate about the sport for the past eight
years after taking it up to keep fit when he retired from professional
football.
Best Veteran Team
And the sport runs in the family, with Peter’s wife Lynne, 45,
recently achieving a black belt while his step-sons Liam, 13 and Peter,
15, starting to learn the basics.
As well as the championship title, Peter won three gold and two
silver medals at the competition in Barletta on March 14.
They were just some of the awards bagged by the Scottish team, who
were voted Best Veteran Team in Europe as well as bagging a total of six
gold, nine silver and 13 bronze medals.
He said: “I started taekwondo when I finished playing football eight
years ago. I wanted to do something that would keep me fit and flexible.
“The sport is just as good for my fitness as football, if not
better.”
“Real shock”
But his budding martial arts career was threatened by his diagnosis
just three days before Christmas in 2008.
Despite undergoing an operation to remove the tumour in January 2009
and a gruelling course of radiotherapy in March of the same year, Peter
credits the disease for his winning streak.
He said: “I was diagnosed with cancer a few days before Christmas in
2008 and it was a real shock to the system.
“You only ever tend to read about these things and never think this
is going to happen to you.
“Although I was in complete shock of being diagnosed, and then having
to think about the orchiectomy and the radiotherapy, the main thing
going through my mind was what a set back it was going to be for me in
my taekwondo.
“It was my passion for the last eight years and the thought of it
being taken away from me all of a sudden was a scary one.”
“Get back to my best”
But he received the all-clear after his radiotherapy and is
celebrating a glorious return to the sport after being picked in January
for the Scottish team at the European championships.
Peter has also bagged six golds, four silvers and one bronze in
national martial arts competitions since his recovery.
Peter – from the Liberton area of Edinburgh – said: “I still go for
check-ups and won’t get the final all-clear for another five years.
“But this is the first year that I have been able to get back to
taekwondo properly since I was diagnosed.
“After my treatment, I began to do light stretching with the help of
my instructor, Frank Lindsay.
“I wanted to be back to my best right away and often got ahead of
myself but Frank was really good in reining me back, so that I got back
to full fitness properly.
“I think that it’s important for everyone to have a hobby they enjoy,
but for me, my taekwondo really was my life saver during the early
stages of my cancer diagnosis.”
“Catch my eye”
And taekwondo hasn’t just given Peter the strength to fight cancer –
he met his wife through the sport.
He said: “It was love at first punch. Anyone who could deliver a
punch quicker than me was always going to catch my eye,”
Peter still has to go for regular check ups to make sure that the
cancer has not returned, but he is hopeful that he has a bright future.
He said: “I am hoping to go back to the European Championships in
Russia next year and defend my title.
“If I can raise the sponsorship then I’m also hoping to go to the
World Championships in Belarus this summer.”
By Cara Sulieman
Source: Deadline Scotland
