Bournemouth‘s right-winger, David Brooks has been diagnosed with cancer known as Hodgkin Lymphoma. The 24-year-old Wales international took to his Instagram page to announce the development on Wednesday, October 13, 2021.
In his statement, David Brooks confirmed that he will begin a course of treatment in the coming week. This means that he would not be available for Bournemouth and Wales for a couple of months.
It was detected that David Brooks was in stage II of Hodgkin Lymphoma when he joined Wales for the October FIFA international break. After he was diagnosed with the illness, he had to withdraw from the team.
Hence, the fast-rising winger missed Wales’ 2-2 draw with the Czech Republic on October 8, and also missed Wales’ 1-0 win over Estonia on October 11.
The result from the two FIFA World Cup qualifiers kept Wales on the third spot of Group E with 11 points in 6 games, the same points with the second-placed Czech Republic, and five points away from first place Belgium.
In David Brooks’ statement via Instagram, the 24-year-old Manchester City academy graduate thanked the medical team of Wales Football Association for helping in detecting the illness.
The football star who last played for Bournemouth on 29 September 2021 in a Championship match against Peterborough which ended 0-0, thanked his club for their support.
David Brooks wrote: “This is a very difficult message for me to write. I have been diagnosed with Stage II Hodgkin Lymphoma and will begin a course of treatment next week.
“Although this has come as a shock to myself and my family, the prognosis is a positive one and I am confident that I will make a full recovery and be back playing as soon as possible.
“I’d like to show my appreciation to the doctors, nurses, consultants, and staff who have been treating me for their professionalism, warmth, and understanding during this period.
“I want to thank everyone at the Football Association of Wales because without the swift attention of their medical team we may not have detected the illness.
“I’d also like to say thank you to AFC Bournemouth for all their support and assistance this past week.
“Although I appreciate that there will be media attention and interest, I would like to ask that my privacy is respected in the coming months and I will share updates on my progress when I can do so.
“In the meantime, thank you to everyone for their messages of support – it means so much and will continue to do so in the months ahead.
“I look forward to seeing you all again and playing the sport I love very soon.”
In a statement Bournemouth published on the club’s official website, the Championship side confirmed that David Brooks will commence treatment in the coming week.
The statement read: “AFC Bournemouth can confirm that midfielder David Brooks has been diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma.
“He left international duty with Wales last week and after medical examination, it has been confirmed that he has Stage II Hodgkin Lymphoma.
“As a result of this, David will undergo treatment next week after an initial positive prognosis.”
David Brooks has been playing for Bournemouth since July 1, 2018, after he joined the club from Sheffield United for a transfer fee worth €11.30 million.
Since then, the 24-year-old winger has played 91 times for the Championship side in which he has scored 18 goals and provided 12 assists.
Brooks who made his national team debut on November 10, 2017, has played 21 times for Wales and has scored two international goals.
