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Former Celtic player Stuart Gray has died at the age of 50 months after being diagnosed with a rare cancer.
A statement released today through the club said everyone at Celtic is “deeply disappointed by the news” and that the minds and prayers of everyone at Celtic Park are with Stuart’s circle of family and friends at this very sad time.
Celtic players will wear black armbands in tribute to Stuart in today’s match against Ross County.
Midfielder Stuart, son of Eddie and nephew of Frank Gray, both stars of prominent club Leeds United in the early 1970s, rose through Celtic’s youth ranks and made his debut in a 1–0 home win over Aberdeen on May 1, 1993. . .
It was the first of 32 Hoops games in which he scored a goal, in a 4–1 home win over Raith Rovers in May 1996.
He joined Tommy Burns’ Reading team in 1998 and remained there for 3 years prior to that with Rushden.
Dad-of-five Stuart, who lived in Harrogate, launched a campaign to raise funds for his own medical treatment after being diagnosed with stage four cholangiocarcinoma – a cancer that forms in the bile ducts, in September.
She had been told that when cholangiocarcinoma begins to show symptoms, it is too complex for surgery, which lately is the only known cure.
Stuart was also diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a chronic liver disease with no known cure, which doctors believe was a likely contributing factor in the development of the cancer.
Writing on the GoFundMe page set up by his brother Nick, Stuart said at the time: “The severity of my illness means that doctors expect my life expectancy to be significantly reduced. However, treatments are available for the cholangiocarcinoma that can prolong life expectancy, and in some rare cases even cure this terrible disease, and I am determined to do everything I can to fight it with everything I have.”
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After raising over £50,000, Stuart said: “To all the other people who have donated and sent clever messages and wishes, I must say how deeply grateful I am to one and both of them. It means both one and both for me and my circle of family to see what we have.
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