IN 2019, former footie ace Dominic Matteo was rocked by the news that he had a rare brain tumour.
Now, a seven-hour operation and lots of rehab later, the ex Leeds and Liverpool player is on the mend.
Who is Dominic Matteo?
Dominic Matteo, 47, is an ex-Liverpool and Leeds defender.
The player made his senior Liverpool debut in October 1993 and made 155 appearances in seven years.
In 2000, he joined Leeds in 2000, playing in the Champions League semi-finals in 2001.
He is known as ‘San Siro Dom’ for the goal he scored against AC Milan in the Champions League.
Dominic retired in 2009 at the age of 35.
When was Dominic Matteo diagnosed with a ependymoma brain tumour?
Dominic was told he had a cancerous brain tumour in 2019.
He first visited the doctor over concerns about his eyesight.
Results were inconclusive, but when he began suffering from a persistent headache, Dominic began to worry.
He was found to have a rare condition called ependymoma rela fusion and was rushed to Leeds General Infirmary.
Matteo had to undergo a seven-hour surgery to remove it and doctors said they managed to remove 95% of the tumour.
He was given the all-clear in April 2020.
How is Dominic Matteo doing now?
Dominic lost his ability to read and write following the operation, and was left with no peripheral vision in his right eye.
Back in April 2020, he said: “At the moment for me it’s still day to day, I still have to function with certain things. I still can’t read and write. You just have to realise about certain things.
“We’ve all lost people to certain things and there’s been a lot of bad news knocking about. Just to bring a little bit of happiness from my own point of view and for everyone else at that moment was nice.
“It has been such a tough time for everyone – and for me.
"We keep going and I’ve kept battling away right the way through it. I can’t thank my wife Jess enough for everything she has done for me through this period."
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Dominic and wife Jessica have made major lifestyle changes following the experience.
Dominic's wife Jessica said "We have cut out all red meat,
"No sugar. Everything he eats is alkaline. Steven Gerrard sends us alkaline water, which is really, really kind of him. We do lots of juicing, smoothie making."
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