In September, the Blues legend was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, which had also spread to his hip and pelvic area.
The 63-year-old has subsequently received chemotherapy treatment at QA Hospital’s oncology department, with the scheduled six-session course finishing last Tuesday.
Knight now faces a 3-4 week wait before undergoing radiotherapy, directed at the prostate itself and consisting of 20 sessions.
April 11 is penciled in as the date he is expected to discover whether his cancer treatment has proven successful.
In the meantime, the man who represented Pompey in 801 matches spanning four decades has reassured the Fratton faithful that he’s ‘fine’.
He told The News: ‘In some ways, I feel a bit of a fraud. I actually don’t feel too bad; I feel okay, fine. God forbid, I would hate to end up being bedridden or anything like that.
‘I have seen so many people who’ve had to fight this disease over the years. Some have come out of it; unfortunately, some don’t.
‘I’m putting my life in the hands of consultants and medical people, and hopefully they can come up for me. They don’t sugarcoat anything; they say it as it is. It can’t be cured, but hopefully it can be managed.
‘Originally on my notes, I was to undergo chemo alongside hormone therapy, with the possibility of radiotherapy at the end. They have now decided that it’s worth carrying out, with it focusing directly on the actual prostate.
‘Apparently, there are better outcomes for the patients who have taken it up. Some people don’t want to, for whatever reason, but I’m willing to do whatever it takes.
‘Last week I finished my six courses of chemotherapy, with a session taking place every three weeks. That was to hopefully put the cancer in my hip and lymph node into remission, so it doesn’t spread.
‘Now I’m in a bit of a limbo, waiting for radiotherapy to start in the next three or so weeks. Then we’ll see what happens.’
Radiotherapy will involve Knight visiting QA Hospital every Monday to Friday over a four-week period, with each session consisting of a five-minute treatment on one of four machines available.
By his own admission, chemotherapy side effects have, largely, been manageable and not too intrusive, while he has continued to attend Fratton Park matches whenever possible.
He added, ‘Chemo took place at Q Hospital on a Tuesday, every three weeks. I’d be hooked up for an hour and a half, which wasn’t too bad; I could go on my phone, listen to music, and do other stuff.
‘The fourth, fifth, and sixth doses, however, made me very, very tired and feel a bit icky. I would be tired for a few days. The worst side effects have been mouth ulcers and taste bud issues, along with a bit of hair loss.
‘I am a nightmare with needles, and, after each chemo, I had to self-administer an injection to boost my white blood cells. I couldn’t do it, though, so my wife Heather has had to step up to carry that out.
‘I also need to continue taking steroids for another two weeks, which has affected my appetite. I’ve been eating quite a bit.
‘I put on two stone right at the beginning, scoffing everything, eating us out of house and home, although it has now settled down with the last couple of chemo treatments. I’ve also been trying to use the sickness pills better than I have been.
‘I’ve actually been fairly lucky with the side effects compared to some people. I’ve gone through that side of that now, but I must continue on hormone therapy for the rest of my life, which is a 28-day injection. The same goes for daily hormone tablets.
‘Encouragingly, I had a PSA test halfway through the chemo to monitor my current prostate cancer levels. From being at 31.7, it had gone down to 6, which is a massive drop. With the chemo, you can’t be 100 percent accurate, but anything in between 1-9 on the prostate is very positive.
‘Hopefully, everything will come together for April 11, which is when I am booked to see my consultant. Although that may overlap, depending on my radiotherapy start date.
‘Before then, I’m also booked in for a CT scan and then a bone scan (March 25), which will tell me how the cancer of the hip/pelvis is faring. There will be more blood tests focusing on the prostate too.
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‘April 11 is the date I should know for certain whether all the treatment has worked.’
As ever, Knight has been touched by the immense levels of support and affection shown by the city during these difficult times.
Since being diagnosed in September, he has been determined to raise awareness of prostate cancer through publicly speaking about his plight, thereby encouraging others to seek testing.
He also has his sights set on raising critical funds for QA Hospital and Prostate Cancer UK, with a potential post-season fundraising event that is currently under wraps.
Knight added, ‘Trying to raise awareness has helped me. I’ve been massively encouraged by the response.
‘Lots of guys have come up to me and given their thanks for letting them know about the PSA test. Just the thought of potentially helping somebody else has made me feel good.
‘I cannot speak highly enough of the QA staff. Seeing the pressure those wonderful people are under is a massive eyeopener for me.
‘Total respect to the staff working under such challenging circumstances, sometimes having to cope with being understaffed, but all have a fantastic attitude.
‘My wife has been unbelievable, she won’t allow me to feel sorry for myself, she’s been an absolute rock, as have my kids, step-children, grandchildren and my friends.
‘The Pompey family have also been brilliant. I’m blown away with it, I didn’t really realise how much I am liked and loved by a lot of people, you forget that. Thank you all for your help on the journey so far.’
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