It’s been an emotional week for Stephen Bradley, following the news that his son Josh has been given the all-clear following prolonged treatment for cancer.
The Shamrock Rovers manager described it as “the best news” after Josh got to ring the bell in Crumlin hospital to signal the end of cancer treatment.
Bradley left Dublin for the Azores earlier today as the Hoops take on Portuguese side Santa Clara on Thursday evening in the UEFA Conference League, and the manager said that he is now looking forward to ringing home without any anxiety.
“We’ve got messages from all around the country and that’s been incredible,” said Bradley.
“Those moments have really helped Josh when he was going through tough times. When Josh was diagnosed, we made the decision to go public because there were a number of reasons, we felt that we could help be a voice for families in Crumlin that haven’t got a voice and we could help them in a small way.
“We also felt that the fans and the club obviously deserved to know what was going on, and for me, the players most certainly deserved to know what was happening.”
Bradley said that his family made the recent trip to Crumlin and paid tribute to the staff at the hospital and in St John’s Ward, where his son was treated.
“Getting the news last week was the best news we’ve had in three and a half years. We went in yesterday and all the nurses and doctors who looked after him for the last three and a half years were there.
“They’re incredible people in St John’s Ward, they really are, and they take each case really personally, and even to see their emotion yesterday was incredible, you know, because we know we are one of the lucky families that gets to ring that bell.
“I’ve been quite anxious, to be honest. I don’t get anxious. I don’t get worried about things, but I had been the last few days, but now when I come away and I can ring home and it’s back to normality. It’s going to be strange and different, but in a really good way.”
