Liverpool FC Forum

[C-R]

Brave dad of Sunderland hero and Liverpool star Jordan Henderson kept cancer battle secret from his son

THE dad of England star Jordan Henderson has opened up about the cancer battle he kept secret from his son.

Speaking to the Echo, in the week the Premier League season kicked off, Brian Henderson has revealed that his cancer was diagnosed before Christmas, but he and his wife delayed telling former Black Cat Jordan and the rest of their family.

But as his surgery date grew closer, Brian told the midfield ace about the illness and spoke to his boss at Liverpool, Brendan Rodgers, about his ordeal.

Brian was also unable to travel to Brazil to see Jordan play in the World Cup in June, but spoke to him daily.

Now, after successful treatment, Brian is to speak at a Sunderland conference for cancer survivors about his experience and how important it is to talk about it.

He said: “It was a very emotional time when I had to break the news to the family.

“I went to speak to Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool who was very understanding. He gave Jordan time off, and the people at Liverpool were amazing.

“They were very understanding and gave him a lot of support. I said to Jordan that the best thing he could do for me when he got back to playing was try to get man of the match in every game.

“He got it in four of the next five he played – people didn’t realise the pressure he was under. I was so proud of him.”

Brian has now had radiotherapy and surgery to remove lymph nodes in both sides of his neck and a tumour from his tongue which has left a hole the size of a 50p piece.

The 59-year-old and his wife Donna, a 40-year-old self-employed social worker, held off telling Jordan, 24, and Donna’s son Kyle Cunningham, 22, to try to stop the news ruining their Christmas.

Brian was still recovering from his treatment when the World Cup started so was unable to go to Brazil to watch Jordan in the tournament.

Brian, who lives in Washington, did speak to the former Farringdon Academy pupil every day during the tournament.

He said: “He was really looking forward to the tournament and was buzzing about it. That helped me through, I knew it could change his life.

“He was disappointed by the outcome but it was an experience for him.”

Brian, who played for the England police side on the right wing and as a centre midfielder, will speak at a conference for the survivors of head and neck cancers at the Stadium of Light next month.

The tumour in his neck was discovered when he was having a cyst removed in November.

His doctor ordered tests which confirmed there was a carcinoma of the middle part of his throat and a tumour on his tongue.

Brian, grandfather to Jordan’s one-year-old daughter Elexa, and Kyle’s 18-month-old son Josh, lost more than four stone during the radiotherapy, which he described as “the worst thing I’ve ever had in my life”.

The conference, backed by specialists from Sunderland Royal and experts in speech and language, ear, nose and throat and lymphoedema, will feature 20 stalls, and a question and answer session.

It will run from 10.30am to 6pm on Wednesday, September 24.

[kazza]

Most times we do not know what goes on behind the scenes of a football players life and we easily pass judgement like "he had a good game" or "he was cr@p" when these events have a real impact on how they perform. It is no surprise that Raheem started to play well when he finally finished with his legal problems. It could be a breakup with a girlfriend, trouble with a new baby, a fight amoungst two players. These players are only human after all and usually young but more often than not the manager knows and probably why they make strange decisions sometimes which we fans cannot understand.

[Bill Shankly Rules]

Jurys still out on Hendo. Not a game changing player like Alonso, and he Gerrard, and Lucas in our line up is hardly gonna frighten teams now is it

[SouthCoastShankly]

Jurys still out on Hendo. Not a game changing player like Alonso, and he Gerrard, and Lucas in our line up is hardly gonna frighten teams now is it

Do you ever post anything positive?

What do you bring to this forum? We already have a bunch of miserable gits, we don't need another one.

[C-R]

Jurys still out on Hendo. Not a game changing player like Alonso, and he Gerrard, and Lucas in our line up is hardly gonna frighten teams now is it

Do you ever post anything positive?

What do you bring to this forum? We already have a bunch of miserable gits, we don't need another one.

+1

[Santa]

Jurys still out on Hendo. Not a game changing player like Alonso, and he Gerrard, and Lucas in our line up is hardly gonna frighten teams now is it

Do you ever post anything positive?

What do you bring to this forum? We already have a bunch of miserable gits, we don't need another one.

Yet another shit stirrer with nothing but doom & gloom opinion on all things

[Penguins]

So he isn't world class.
Only 24 and a very good player still developing by each game.

Who goes by the standard, that he isn't world class, so therefore the jury is out on a player. 

[ycsatbjywtbiastkamb]

Jurys still out on Hendo. Not a game changing player like Alonso, and he Gerrard, and Lucas in our line up is hardly gonna frighten teams now is it

Do you ever post anything positive?

What do you bring to this forum? We already have a bunch of miserable gits, we don't need another one.

Charming that, the lad is entitled to his opinion and you are entitled to disagree with his opinion but I'm sure you could have phrased it better than that.

[killerp]

http://www.theguardian.com/football/201 ... witzerland

this is a joke now...

Fook you England,if you get Sterling injured the death threats start 

[Thommo's perm]

Fu'ck off england!!

[C-R]

The Mirror is reporting....

Henderson has responded well to intensive treatment on his ankle and looks certain to start tonight.

[woof woof !]

The Mirror is reporting....

Henderson has responded well to intensive treatment on his ankle and looks certain to start tonight.

Can only hope his eagerness to establish himself as an England regular isn't going to affect his availability for LFC   

[damjan193]

Is Clownson making sure that Hendo gets 100% injured by playing him tonight? I'm actually surprised there's no bad news on Sterling. Not yet anyway.

[Santa]

Passed fit to play...damm

[killerp]

Passed fit to play...damm

Had me worried there..he is an integral part of the team now.