UPDATE: Darren Scott faces cancer fight as new tumours discovered

Well-known radio presenter and sports host Darren Scott has thanked South Africans for their well wishes and prayers as he once again wages a battle against cancer.

Scott was diagnosed with melanoma – an aggressive kind of skin cancer – almost 40 years ago – and recently doctors discovered new tumours.

His current employers, HOT 102.7FM, issued a statement on Saturday regarding Scott’s latest health update.

History

As reported by The South African website in late 2024, Johannesburg-based radio station HOT 102.7FM confirmed that Scott would be returning to host its afternoon drive show. 

The Just Plain Drive Show saw a return to South African radio for Scott, who had previously been in the United States for the 18 months prior. 

Scott is a household name in South African radio and television, having been in the business for 40 years, including stints with the likes of Capital Radio, 5FM, 702, East Coast Radio, OFM, and Jacaranda FM.

He also enjoyed a successful TV career, largely with MultiChoice’s SuperSport, where he fronted the hugely-popular ‘Boots & All’ rugby show for many years.

What happened to Darren Scott?

In a revealing post shared to Facebook, Scott explained how he has been living with a life-threatening skin cancer, melanoma.

Sharing a detailed account of his journey, he posted an almost unrecognisable photo alongside a more recent picture of him in hospital.

“The one on the left is me just over a year ago. My weight had dropped to 78kg and I felt like I was close to death,” he posted.

“The pic on the right is me in hospital this past weekend … finally getting a problem fixed after a rollercoaster year.”

When sharing more details, he explained that the first melanoma had been diagnosed as far back as 1986 … “as a result of many hours on a cricket field without adequate protection”.

“Since 1986 my body has been like a ‘pinball machine’ when it comes to this disease,” he shared.

“Discounting the numerous very early stage melanomas (malignant moles in simplistic terms), which have been removed without any follow up treatment necessary, I’ve had five more serious ones … that is, at a more advanced stage.”

Darren Scott went on to depict an agonising journey fighting not only the disease, but some adverse reactions to attempted treatments, one of which he suggests “made my own immune system turn on me! It hit me like a series of Mike Tyson blows to my gastro-intestinal region ….”

“I plummeted 15kg in two weeks and after being discharged from hospital with hordes of cortisone and an array of other medication, I spent the next few weeks, which became months, completely drained and battling to recover.

“That came with far too regular bouts of dizziness, blackouts and a complete loss of energy as I battled to maintain my weight above 80kg (normal for me being around 90-95kg).

“This ‘attack’ on my system started in July of last year …. and I only started to feel somewhat human again by November!”

After another recent health setback that led to his “body shutting down” two months ago, and which left him largely incapacitated, Scott needed to have his gall bladder removed.

“I finally feel human again after more than a year …. albeit less one gall bladder to go with missing lymph glands, a part of my lung and a section of my chin … and a whole new diet!” he described.

“The good news is … I’m back at that place where all I’m fighting now is my weight … that’s to try and keep it down, as opposed to trying to keep it up!”

You can read the full post from Darren Scott here

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