UK: comics Rhod Gilbert & Mark Steel have cancer; dancer Amy Dowden has cancer; soccer manager Craig Shakespeare has cancer; Australia: Sam Neill battling cancer ("ALL IS WELL")

"Yury Shevchuk, Russian rock musician known for anti-war stance, recovering from heart attack"

UNITED KINGDOM

Two stand-up comics:

Rhod Gilbert receives first clear scan after cancer diagnosis

October 24, 2023

Comedian Rhod Gilbert has received his first clear cancer scan after undergoing treatment. The 55-year-old Welshman announced in July that he had cancer and was being treated at the Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff, where he had been a fundraising patron for a decade before the diagnosis. He underwent surgery for metastatic cancer of the head and neck, followed by sessions of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Gilbert told the Radio Times discovering his cancer hadn’t spread was “the best day of my life”. “I was back on the road earlier this year, I got a call to say my latest scan had shown the cancer was in the areas they knew about, but it wasn’t in my lungs or my brain,” he said. The news was later followed by his first clear scan, to which Gilbert said: “The best thing was that the tumour had gone, and it was once again an ordinary blood vessel.”

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Cancer schtick:

Mark Steel: ‘I have cancer and it feels like there’s a leopard in my house’

October 8, 2023

British comic Mark Steel's ramblings about his recently diagnosed cancer:

https://tinyurl.com/mtkh545a

Amy Dowden makes Strictly Come Dancing return after cancer diagnosis

October 7, 2023

Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden has made a surprise first appearance back on the show since starting cancer treatment. The 33-year-old from Caerphilly was diagnosed with cancer for the second time in July and has been sharing her experiences on social media. After reading the show's terms and conditions for voting, she gave an update on her chemotherapy treatment. "I'm doing really well, I'm over halfway through treatment," she said. "I can't wait to be back with you all permanently." Dowden has been diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer after she discovered the first lump back in April - a day before she was due to fly to her honeymoon in the Maldives with husband Ben. After undergoing a mastectomy, she was told the tumours had spread and another type of cancer was discovered. She ended up in hospital with sepsis after a previous cycle of chemotherapy.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-67042868

Former Leicester manager Craig Shakespeare diagnosed with cancer

October 12, 2023

Leicester [City soccer club] have announced that former manager Craig Shakespeare has been diagnosed with cancer. The Foxes said Shakespeare, 59, who also had three different spells as assistant manager at the club, is currently undergoing treatment. In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), the club said: 'Former Leicester City manager Craig Shakespeare has revealed that he has recently been diagnosed with cancer and is currently receiving treatment. Craig is very grateful for the kind well-wishes he has been receiving and for the privacy that he and his family have been shown during this challenging time.'

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RUSSIA

Yury Shevchuk, Russian Rock Musician Known For Anti-War Stance, Recovering From Heart Attack

October 9, 2023

Yury Shevchuk, leader of popular Russian rock group DDT, is being treated in Israel after he experienced a heart attack last month. The 66-year-old Shevchuk is expected to return to the stage in December. Concerts by Shevchuk's group were canceled several times in Russia last year over his open protesting of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. In August last year, Shevchuk was fined 50,000 rubles ($500) for harshly criticizing President Vladimir Putin and the invasion during a concert in Russia’s Republic of Bashkortostan. 

https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-rock-musician-shevchuk-anti-war-heart-attack/32629886.html

AUSTRALIA

Sam Neill Assures ‘All Is Well’ in New Video Amid Cancer Battle

October 17, 2023

Sam Neill has taken to Instagram to assure fans that he’s doing well and that his comments about his cancer battle in an interview with Australian Story have caused unnecessary alarm. “ALL IS WELL. I AM WELL!!” Neill wrote in the caption of an Instagram video shared on October 17. “Please ignore conflated stories in the press today. A passing remark on the program last night has been taken out of context. Please be assured that I am firmly in remission, and plan to remain so for years to come. All is well, beautiful day here in Western Australia, and tomorrow it’ll be too.”

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