“I’ve been quite anxious” – Stephen Bradley opens up on dealing with son’s cancer battle

The Bradley family received fantastic news about son Josh's treatment

The Shamrock Rovers manager’s son has been undergoing medical treatment for leukaemia for over three-and-a-half years, but was able to ring the end-of-treatment bell this week.

Stephen accompanied the 11-year-old at Crumlin Children’s Hospital with wife Emma, their other son Jaden, and daughter Ella. 

Bradley has spoken openly about his son’s treatment, and on Wednesday said a huge weight had been lifted off their shoulders with the news.

“I've been quite anxious, to be honest,” said Bradley as he prepares to take his Shamrock Rovers side to Santa Clara in Portugal for their Europa Conference League play-off round first leg.

“I don’t get anxious. I don’t get worried about things, but I had been the last few days [before the official all clear], but now when I come away and I can ring home and it’s back to normality.

“We’ve got messages from all around the country and that’s been incredible. 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.

“Looking back now, the support that we received from people from everywhere really, from up and down the country, that's been absolutely incredible and for Josh too.

"For him to see emails, letters, text messages from people up and down the country and to see the smile on his face, I can't describe what that feeling is because it gave him moments of forgetting about the journey that he was on.

“Any parent will tell you the hardest part of being a parent is seeing a kid sick because it’s our job to try and protect our kids as best as possible, so we will be forever grateful for those moments of happiness.

“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.”