Portishead Town captain Trueman on 'heart-breaking' cancer diagnosis

The captain of Posset was talking with Ian Nockolds, presenter of the Toolstation Western League podcast, saying he first came across the lump at the end of September.

After leaving it a couple of weeks Trueman, 20, then discussed it with his mum and went to have tests, which was followed by scans before he received the final diagnosis on December 14, confirming the sad news.

“You can't actually put it into words,” Trueman told the podcast.

“It's heart-breaking. I had my mother there with me and you can't even describe it. As soon as you hear the word it's really, yeah, it's horrible.

“And when they first told me I couldn't even speak for about 20 minutes, I just didn't know, you just never think. You see it all over TV and in the news, but you never think it's going to happen to you.

"You think, I'm healthy, I'm 20, I've got a perfect life, lovely girlfriend, lovely life, lovely job, but you never think it's going to happen to you. But as you see it can, it can happen to anyone, any age.”

Trueman has already undergone his first session of chemotherapy, which will be in four lots, and followed by more scans to determine the outcome, and size, of the lump.

The process will see Trueman spend three days in hospital, with a day of resting before going home for two and a half weeks to recuperate.

He is now on his second lot of chemotherapy and he will begin his third lot in the middle of February, with the fourth lot held in March where the sessions will come to a end at the end of the month before they will be able to begin the operation.

Nathan Trueman is the current captain of Portishead Town FC. (Image: Archant)

As expected there is a long road ahead and there isn’t a time limit on when he will return to action, but Trueman says the first time stepping back on a football pitch will be the “most emotional” for him, adding: “Portishead have been amazing, my whole life, I've played for them since I was six years old.

“I've had different stints at different clubs, but I've always had Portishead in my heart when I'm playing football.

“And the support they've given me during this has been just unbelievable. And everything they've set up and they set up the GoFundMe page and it's truly been amazing.

“I can't wait to get back on that pitch and playing for them, it will be the amazing, I can't see myself really playing for anyone else.”

So far there have been 1,200 donors and 2,400 shares and the amount of money raised is close to £30,000, which will go to two charities - Sarcoma UK, and the Teenage Cancer Trust.

And Trueman, who is also a barista at a Starbucks drive-thru, admitted to being blown away by the support he has received and is grateful to each and everyone who has donated and hopes more people can continue to come together and support the two great causes.

“I really wanted to raise awareness and to raise money for the charities that have already been amazing to me,” he said.

“It's only been a month, they've already been amazing to me and the support they've given me has been amazing.

“We set up a target of £20,000, which we thought at the time was very, very ambitious. But we hit it within 48 hours, which is just incredible, I genuinely could not believe it.

“And the support, it's just been amazing. So we've boosted the target up to £50,000 which, again, it's going to be very ambitious, but we have got a lot of fundraising set up.

“We feel like we are going to hit it. It's going to help me as well, because there will be a few months where I won't be able to work and I'll be on a statutory sick pay, which isn't going to cover my bills and stuff like that.

"But the biggest thing for me is it's going to really, really help the charities that I put down.”

Bristol Road Playing Fields - home of Portishead Town FC. (Image: Archant)

Trueman passed on a special message to the people who have supported him through thick and thin, as well as to each and every person who has played in part on his path to recovery.

“A massive, really massive thanks to Eamonn Daly, Hughesy (James Hughes) and Dave Hewitt who are the coaches at Portishead," he added.

“They have been incredible. Hughesy and his girlfriend Sophie, they're the ones that set up the GoFundMe page and have been promoting it and setting up a Facebook page.

“They've been amazing because it relieves the stress off me and I can just focus on my recovery and whilst I'm in hospital.

“Also, I want to say massive thanks to my family, my mum and my brothers who've been here alongside me when I can't get out of bed.

“They've been even bringing me food, drink, everything. And also my girlfriend Ella as well who's been incredible.

“She's picked me up when I'm at my lowest point, she makes the hard days easier. Those are the main people I'd love to thank, but also to everyone else who's even donated or shared or anything, just thank you, literally thank you so much, it's really emotional, and thank you.”

You can donate to the GoFundMe page at https://uk.gofundme.com/f/the-nathan-truesy-truman-20000-challenges.