Clydebank FC Superfan Beats Terminal Diagnosis: Witnesses First League Win in 20 Years!

In 2023, Stephen Maxwell was diagnosed with melanoma and told he had only a year to live.

Stephen Maxwell, a football enthusiast battling cancer, was told he had only a year left to live but has since witnessed his favorite team, Clydebank FC, clinch the league title for the first time in over 20 years.

Maxwell was diagnosed with the deadly skin cancer melanoma in early 2023.

Eighteen months post-diagnosis, at 58 years old, Maxwell experienced sheer joy as he watched Clydebank FC secure the West of Scotland Premier Division championship at Holm Park on a memorable Saturday.

This event was something Maxwell feared he might never live to see.

Despite his challenging health condition and ongoing treatment, Maxwell did not miss a single Clydebank FC game over the past year.

“Attending these games was the one thing I could consistently enjoy. It’s just a short trip from my house,” he shared.

“This year, we won the league for the first time in 21 years. It was incredible. Every Saturday, I looked forward to watching the Bankies play,” Maxwell recounted.

“At the start of the season, I had doubts I’d make it to the end, but I did, and it was absolutely fantastic. I even got the match ball from the first game of the season autographed,” he added.

Maxwell first discovered he had skin cancer in 2021 when his mother noticed a lump, resembling a mole, on his back.

Initially, a doctor reassured him it was benign.

However, the lump grew significantly over two and a half years, eventually rupturing, which compelled Maxwell to seek further medical evaluation.

Upon visiting his GP, he was immediately sent to West Glasgow Ambulatory Care Hospital at Yorkhill for urgent surgery to remove what turned out to be a fist-sized tumor.

“I went to a specialist in Glasgow back in 2021, and he casually dismissed it as benign. But it kept growing and eventually burst. When it last burst, I urgently called my brother for help,” Maxwell explained.

“The surgery took two and a half hours. They removed the tumor, but the cancer was still there. I needed more surgeries,” he said.

“After starting immunotherapy, it only took three months for them to tell me it wasn’t working and that the cancer had spread to my bones,” he continued.

“I was devastated. They basically said I had six to twelve months left. It just knocked me off my feet,” Maxwell recalled.

Following this bleak prognosis, Maxwell began to prepare for the end.

However, a life-changing call came in spring 2024 from a doctor at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, offering him a place in a new clinical trial.

“Doctor Tan from Beatson called to say I was eligible for a new trial. I was supposed to enter a hospice, but instead, I started the trial the very next day,” he said.

“The treatment included the drug Opdualag and steroids. It gave me the best six months I could ask for,” he reflected.

“I enjoyed a fantastic summer and even managed to say goodbye to friends, thinking my time was near. However, I didn’t die as expected. I’m still here, taking steroids, and have even returned to some of my local clubs,” Maxwell shared.

“I was the first person in Scotland to try this trial, and while most people only lasted three or four months, I managed eight,” he added.

“The cancer remains in my bones but hasn’t spread further. I can’t complain,” he concluded.

Melanoma Focus, a charity dedicated to funding research into melanoma, notes that the rates of this severe form of skin cancer are rising in the UK, with approximately 17,500 new cases diagnosed annually.

Melanoma is considered one of the most lethal types of skin cancer due to its high mortality rate.