Chris Hoy 'utterly blown away' by response to terminal cancer announcement
Sir Chris Hoy has said he is "utterly blown away" by the response to his announcement that his cancer diagnosis was terminal.
In a post on Instagram, he added that there had been a "massive increase" in men seeking advice about prostate cancer in the days after he revealed he has between two to four years to live.
"That’s been a huge comfort to us, to know that hopefully many lives could be saved by early testing," the former Olympian wrote.
Earlier on Thursday Hoy's wife described him as her "real-life superhero" in her first statement since the announcement.
Also posting on Instagram, Sarra Hoy said they were "excited about the future" and thanked everyone for their kind messages.
The six-time Olympic gold medallist revealed that his prostate cancer was terminal last weekend.
He has since been praised for speaking out about his diagnosis, after it sparked the biggest surge in web searches for cancer since the royal family's diagnoses, according to Macmillan Cancer Support.
On Instagram, Sarra said that the increase in the number of men seeking advice about prostate cancer "took her breath away".
"Life is wonderful. We are excited about the future. We have so many more adventures planned... I am so fortunate to get to do it all with Chris Hoy - the most incredible person I've ever met," she wrote.
"I've said it before and I'll say it again - he truly is my real-life superhero."
The former Team GB track cyclist is one of Britain's greatest cyclists and Olympians.
Sir Hoy announced in February that he was undergoing treatment for an unspecified type of cancer and at the time said he was "optimistic" and his treatment was going "really well".
In an interview with the Sunday Times, he announced he has prostate cancer and it's terminal.
He told the newspaper: “As unnatural as it feels, this is nature.”
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"You remind yourself, aren’t I lucky that there is medicine I can take that will fend this off for as long as possible," he said.
He also revealed how his wife, Sarra, was diagnosed with "very active and aggressive" multiple sclerosis just a month or so after he was found to have terminal cancer.
The pair have been married since 2010 and have two young children, aged seven and ten.
By the time the Olympic legend retired from competitive racing in 2013, he had won six Olympic, 11 world and 34 World Cup titles.
He is the third most decorated British Olympian of all time.
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