Publisher Health

Linfield footballer Ross Larkin says he feels fortunate to be alive following a life-threatening brain tumour.

The 23-year-old from Newry, County Down, has undergone surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

The Northern Ireland under-21 defender hopes to make a full recovery but it is unclear whether he will be able to play top-flight football again.

However he continues to build his fitness back up and is currently training for the Belfast City Marathon.

Details of his illness were not made public when the brain tumour was discovered, just before Christmas in 2021.

To protect his privacy, Linfield simply put out a statement saying the centre-half was in hospital for a “procedure”.

It was, in fact, brain surgery.

In his first interview about his illness, Larkin told BBC News NI: “Thank God I had that surgery and it was successful.

“I’d had no symptoms whatsoever and next thing I’m admitted to hospital for a brain tumour.

“I just couldn’t believe it. My family couldn’t believe it. It was hard to take.”

Before illness struck, he was riding high in life.

By the age of 22, he had a university degree and a full-time football contract at the biggest club in Belfast.

He had played 28 times for Linfield, after previously starring for Portadown as a teenager.

At 6ft 4in (1.93m), he was making a name for himself as a defender who was good in the air as well as on the ground.

After playing for Linfield against Warrenpoint at Windsor Park on 11 December 2021, he started preparing for his winter graduation at Queen’s University Belfast the following week.

He had successfully completed a course in business management.

On the day of his graduation, he started to feel unwell, during the evening after the ceremony.

“I felt a pressure at the side of my eye – I lost peripheral vision,” he said.

After being taken to hospital, he was examined and it was thought he may have had a stroke.

After a scan, the brain tumour was discovered and, initially, it was feared it was untreatable.

Further tests concluded that although it was cancerous, treatment might work.

After surgery on Christmas Eve, a period of daily radiotherapy began and then chemotherapy.

It was a grade-three oligodendroglioma tumour.

“It’s such a rare disease and for it to happen to me was just hard to take,” he said.

“But I got through it and am stronger for it now.

“I feel so thankful to everyone for being so good to me.”

He is grateful to the medical staff who saved his life as well as his family and friends.

He also received constant support from Linfield and manager David Healy.

So, will he be able to play football again?

“I’m not sure,” he says.

“I’ve talked to the doctors and the brain surgeons. They’re not recommending it fully.

“But I’m personally not giving up on it. I’ll see how I am, maybe in a year’s time and reassess.

“I’m doing the Belfast marathon and I want to focus on this at the moment and after the marathon I’ll sit down and I’ll see where I am.”

Preparing for the marathon on 30 April has given him a new goal to work towards.

He is hoping to raise money for the Brainwaves NI charity.

The marathon training has restored his competitive spirit after a gruelling 12 months of treatment.

“I might try and win it,” he says, with a wide smile.