AS well as inspiring an extraordinary reaction on his home patch of Teesside, news of the death of “The Voice of the Boro” Ali Brownlee reached far and wide.
Ali died, aged 56, after a short battle against bowel cancer and, ahead of his funeral last week, I was contacted by Stephanie Moore, the widow of England’s World Cup-winning captain Sir Bobby Moore.
Sir Bobby also died of bowel cancer and his legacy is The Bobby Moore Fund, launched by Stephanie to raise money for research and to raise public awareness of the disease.
Stephanie sent a letter of condolence to Ali’s family and she asked for help in publicising the aims of her charity once the funeral had passed. Sir Bobby died in February 1993 but Stephanie remains committed to campaigning to lift the stigma and ignorance surrounding bowel cancer.
“We’ve moved on in leaps and bounds since Bobby died, but there is still a long way to go,” said Stephanie.
As a result of the work of the charity, which sits under Cancer Research UK, there is now a national screening programme so that men and women over 60 have a home-testing kit posted to them. If samples are tested positive for blood in the stools, another home-test is carried out, and if it’s positive a second time, the patient is called in for a colonoscopy to rule out bowel cancer.
The charity is lobbying for the screening age to be lowered but, in the meantime, the aim is to educate people – especially men – about the symptoms of bowel cancer.
“Bobby was misdiagnosed for four years. He was treated for irritable bowel syndrome and it was too late for him,” said Stephanie.
“If there is an early diagnosis, nine out of ten cases of bowel cancer can be successfully treated,” she added. “The problem is that men in particular aren’t good at facing up to it and taking responsibility for their health. From being small, they’re taught to ‘man up’ and that stays with them. We try to use sport to lift that stigma.
“Our message is – don’t die of embarrassment.”
So here are the symptoms of bowel cancer (from Cancer Research UK):

  • Bleeding from the back passage (rectum) or blood in your poo n A change in normal bowel habits
  • A lump that your doctor can feel in your back passage or abdomen (more commonly on the right side)
  • A feeling of needing to strain in your back passage (as if you need to pass a bowel motion), even after opening your bowels
  •  Losing weight
  • Pain in your abdomen or back passage
  • A lower than normal level of red blood cells (anaemia)

    IT was a privilege to be a guest of Middlesbrough Football Club last Tuesday night when the match against Cardiff City turned into a moving tribute to Ali Brownlee.
    It was 1-1 and Boro looked to be starting to struggle when the match reached the 56th minute – the time scheduled for Ali’s picture to appear on a giant screen and for thousands of fans to light up their phones.
    Perhaps I was imagining it, but that seemed to be the moment when Boro were galvanised and a period of pressure resulted in a second goal. It felt as if the emotional tribute lifted not only the atmosphere but the home team’s performance, as if in response to Ali’s passionate encouragement.
    The game ended 3-1. We all went home sad in one way but happy in another.

THANK you to Alan Peacock, former Middlesbrough and England player, who was our host at the Cardiff City match.
Alan is a gentleman and it was fascinating talking to him about his illustrious career, including his years as Brian Clough’s strike partner.
Alan told how he was so passionate about football as a boy that he deliberately put the wrong answers down on his 11-plus exam paper to avoid having to attend a rugby-playing grammar school.
He also recalled the time he’d just had news of his first England call-up and was playing for Middlesbrough against Sunderland. The game was only a few minutes old when Sunderland’s Charlie Hurley smashed him in the face with his elbow. Alan was taken to hospital and had to have a badly fractured cheekbone and eye-socket re-set.
“Who do you want me to make you look like?” asked the surgeon.
“Can I be Rock Hudson?” asked Alan.

ALI Brownlee’s send-off on Thursday was an unforgettable occasion on the scale of a state funeral.
I don’t think Teesside has ever seen anything quite like it.
I was among the mourners inside St Mary’s Church and, although there were tears, there was laughter too.
Ali’s best friend Gordon Cox had the toughest of jobs in delivering the eulogy with the right mix of poignancy and humour.
He did it brilliantly, beginning with the words: “This is one of the saddest days of my life...right up there with Boro’s relegation in ‘66, liquidation in ‘86, and ‘97 when we lost two cup finals and were relegated...”
I could hear Ali laughing along with the rest of us.