Former Dundee United player Jordan Moore has pledged his support for a new national cancer-awareness campaign.
Striker, Jordan, 22, was tipped to make the breakthrough at Tannadice before receiving the devastating news he was suffering from skin cancer.
The 22-year-old had hit eight goals whilst on loan at Dunfermline in 2014 when he learned a rapidly growing mole on the right side of his face had become cancerous.
After being diagnosed Jordan endured two operations, including 12 hours of surgery in May 2014, at the Royal Infirmary in Glasgow where 80 lymph nodes were removed. Nerves were severed on one side of his face and Jordan was left with a scar on his neck.
Despite playing for various other clubs, both in Scotland and Ireland, Jordan reluctantly hung up his boots this summer.
Now he is cancer free, Jordan is determined to see the bigger picture and try to help as many people as he can.
He said: “Football has been my whole life so moving on from that now is incredibly tough.
“I loved my time in Dundee – it’s a brilliant city to live in.
I trained every day, even on Christmas Day and I’ve never had to think about another job until now. But there is so much more out there that I can do.
“I want to go down the road of helping people instead of concentrating just on football.”
One way Jordan wants to use his experience for the greater good is to publicise the importance of wearing skin protection whilst being in the sun.
He explained: “When I was first told I had skin cancer, the doctor asked me if I was always out in the sun or using sunbeds.
“I’ve never used sunbeds but I grew up playing football outside every day wearing no sun screen so my skin must have been exposed to the sun all those years.
“That’s why I now believe it’s vital when kids are out training on football pitches to make sure they’re wearing sun cream to protect their skin.”
Jordan has worked tirelessly to help others going through cancer, even speaking eloquently about his cancer fight during a fundraising dinner in Dundee which raised more than £40,000.
The inspirational campaigner is only too aware the stresses being diagnosed with cancer can trigger.
How you cope with it, he says, is an entirely personal choice.
Jordan said: “Do whatever is right for you. Cry if you want to. Laugh if you feel happy.
“Don’t listen to anybody who says you have to be a certain way.”
Lisa Adams, Cancer Research UK’s spokeswoman in Scotland said: “We’d like to thank Jordan and his mum Angela for standing up to cancer with us.”
