Stuart Gray, a former Celtic, passes away months after receiving a rare cancer diagnosis.
Stuart Gray, a former Celtics player, lost his battle with cancer at the age of fifty.
Everyone at Celtic is “deeply saddened by the news,” the club said in a statement, and they extended their condolences to Stuart’s family. During the Celtics’ game against Ross County yesterday, the players honored the former player by donning black armbands.
The midfielder came through Celtic’s youth ranks and made his debut on May 1, 1993, in a 1-0 home victory over Aberdeen. He was the nephew of Frank Gray and the son of Eddie, two stars of the storied Leeds United team of the early 1970s. According to the Daily Record, it was the first of his 32 games with the Hoops in which he scored a goal. The goal came during a 4-1 victory at home against Raith Rovers in May 1996.
In 1998, he became a member of Tommy Burns’ Reading team and played for three years. He then spent four years playing for Rushden & Diamonds, making 142 appearances.
father of five The Harrogate resident Stuart was told in September that he had stage four cholangiocarcinoma, a cancer of the bile ducts, and started a fundraising campaign to pay for his own medical care.
He’d been informed that the only known treatment for cholangiocarcinoma at this point is surgery, but by the time symptoms appear, the cancer is typically too advanced for that.
In addition, Stuart was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a chronic liver disease for which there is no known treatment. Medical professionals surmise that PSC played a probable role in the cancer’s development.
Stuart wrote on his brother Nick’s GoFundMe page at the time, stating that his doctors expected his life expectancy to be significantly shortened due to the severity of his illness. Nonetheless, there are cholangiocarcinoma treatments that can extend life expectancy and, in extremely rare circumstances, even cure this horrible illness. I’m committed to using every resource at my disposal to combat this terrible disease.
Stuart stated, “To all the people who have donated and sent messages and good wishes, I want to say how deeply thankful I am to each and every one of you,” after more than £50,000 had been raised. Seeing the support we have is extremely meaningful to my family and me.
