00:00A Wolverhampton fan living with stage 4 cancer has urged people to stop being afraid to talk openly about the
00:09disease.
00:10Warning, there remains a strong sense of taboo around even asking someone how they are coping.
00:17Robbie Meakin, who is 35 years old, is undergoing treatment for colon and liver cancer and said that too many
00:25people avoid honest conversations.
00:27He explained that cancer is now a common illness and yet some still tend to avoid speaking about the subject
00:35rather than addressing it directly.
00:37He added that he has been open about his diagnosis from the beginning and wants to encourage others to feel
00:44comfortable doing the same, especially other football fans.
00:49Speaking to the BBC, he said he hoped to help normalise discussions around cancer, both for those living with the
00:56disease and for those supporting loved ones through it as well.
01:01A lifelong football fan, Meakin has stepped back from his role as a teaching assistant and taken on a position
01:08as a club ambassador.
01:10He approaches the first anniversary of his diagnosis.
01:14He is organising a charity football match to raise funds for the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and the Macmillan Cancer
01:24Support Hub at New Cross Hospital.
