It was a sentence which perfectly summed up Jim Leighton’s refusal to get carried away in hype or hysteria.
“I’m not quite an Aberdonian, but I might be getting there.”
This is the man who helped the Dons achieve immortality as a Gothenburg Great on a rainy night in Sweden in 1983; who proved himself one of Scotland’s best-ever goalkeepers during his 91-cap career; and whose contribution to the club’s success led to him and his teammates being awarded the Freedom of the City last May.
In more recent times, Leighton has worked as a coach at Pittodrie, highlighted the outstanding endeavours of charities such as Ucan, Friends of Anchor and Sue Ryder throughout the north east of Scotland, and made a recovery from prostate cancer after being diagnosed with the illness nearly six years ago.
But he’s still an incomer?
“Well, I came here as a 17-year-old and I’ve spent half of my life here and my kids are from here,” he told me. “But I wasn’t born in Aberdeen, of course.
“That is why the Freedom of the City was just something very special. All the families were there and you can’t play football without the backing of your wife and kids.
“And they have been a hugely important part of my life, on and off the pitch.”
‘This cause means a lot to me’
The 66-year-old’s mettle was tested regularly while he was turning out for Aberdeen, Manchester United and Hibs, and at three World Cups for his country.
Yet he had to face a challenge of a different nature after being told he had cancer and, once again, the succour and support of his loved ones helped him through the ordeal.
But it also highlighted to him the importance of men opening up and speaking about their health issues – and how they could benefit from the groundbreaking work which is being carried out by Ucan at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
There’s a Wee Can initiative with PerfectHygiene, which includes the provision of bins that allow for the discreet disposal of male incontinence products.
These can be used by patients living with urological conditions, helping to reduce the stigma around them and Aberdeen FC has been quick to join the campaign and raise awareness of conditions which affect thousands of people across the country.
‘You don’t want to suffer in silence’
Ucan has also formed a partnership with FoA to create what it describes as a SURE unit (Swift Urological Responsive Evaluation): an international-class facility located within the acute urology services at ARI.
It’s a project which is close to Leighton’s heart and, though he is not one of life’s schmoozers, he grows passionate when the conversation turns to shattering taboos and making it easier for often stubborn males to talk openly about matters of life and death.
He said: “It’s one of the biggest killers of the male population and yet there is still a lack of awareness of how much can be done for those with prostate cancer.
“I know what it’s like, because I was in the dark myself until I had a conversation with my former Aberdeen teammate Willie Garner who had been diagnosed with cancer.
“When I heard the news about Willie, I phoned him up. We chatted for about 10 minutes, then he asked if I had ever been checked out because he knew that my late dad, Sam, had also suffered from prostate cancer.
‘I just switched off for a while’
“It is a hereditary condition, so that was enough to convince me. I got the tests and it turned out that my PSA [the prostate specific antigen test] was through the roof.
“Initially, I was told I would have to get my prostate removed, then I got called into Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and learned it had spread into my lymph nodes.
”As soon as they mentioned cancer, I just switched off. I had to be told later by my wife Diane about the other stuff they told me. It hits you hard. But it is treatable.”
In Leighton’s case, that involved 37 consecutive days of radiotherapy and hormone injections and he realises he will have treatment for the rest of his life.
But he added: “I’m in good hands and they are doing a terrific job keeping on top of it.”
‘The sooner you know, the better’
Nonetheless, he had to wait months to discover exactly what was wrong with him and that explains why he is such a champion of the plans for the RDC at ARI.
In his world, anything which boosts early detection can only be a positive development.
He said: “The charities and the medical staff are fantastic. You can go to hospital in the morning and you’ll know by lunchtime what the problem is.
“In my case, it probably took about three months before it was properly diagnosed, so they have made a lot of progress since 2018 and this new centre will be invaluable.
“But it’s still important to hammer home the message that the doctors can’t do anything without people being sensible.
“If something doesn’t feel right, please go and get yourself checked out. Don’t think it won’t happen to you.”
Leighton still has an appetite for sport, although you’re more likely to find him on the golf course these days than anywhere near the hospitality boxes at Pittodrie.
What does he make of Jimmy Thelin?
But, while he admitted he “doesn’t watch much football any more”, he has been impressed by the impact which Jimmy Thelin has made on Aberdeen since his arrival.
And he can understand why Dons aficionados, for so long fed a diet of dross, are excited about the momentum which has rapidly built up under the new Swedish manager.
He said: “Aberdeen is still my team, I follow them and care about them, and it has been a very long time since there has been such a great buzz about the club.
“They have built an excellent platform, he [Thelin] has laid the foundations, got his message over to his players and they are very much moving in the right direction.
“I don’t think we should get too carried away at this stage. There will be bumps on the road, as happens to every other club, and you have to deal with them.
“But they are in a semi-final [of the Premier Sports Cup], they are going to Hampden to tackle Celtic and I’m sure they will take a load of fans with them down to Glasgow.
“And I think they can travel there and have a right good go at the national stadium.”
It’s almost 50 years since Leighton signed with Aberdeen [from junior club Dalry Thistle] and left the west of Scotland to embark on a trophy-strewn career.
He has experienced peaks and troughs, hit the heights and struggled out of the limelight, but there is a resilient streak of granite in this fellow’s make-up.
Granite is in his DNA
And he is flying the flag for charities and the health service on his own doorstep.
Nobody’s really going to quibble with him being called an Aberdonian, are they?
Further information about Ucan is available at www.ucanaberdeen.com
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