It was in April last year that Per Carlén, 63, noticed that his intestines were not working as they used to and sought care.
– I immediately realize that something is wrong, so I send off a stool sample. It takes three days and they call to say they found blood in the stool, says Carlén to Helsingborgs Dagblad.
It turned out to be a tumor in the colon, which had spread to the liver and lungs. At the moment, Carlén, who received palliative care, is doing better than in a long time and the doctors assess that the liver and colon are healthy and that the treatment has had a full effect. But the fight is not over because there may be microscopic cancer cells lying dormant. He has changed his lifestyle and removed sweets and alcohol.
“Would have meant a death sentence ten years ago”
– Ten years ago, the message I received in May would definitely have meant a death sentence. It is fortunate that developments in research and healthcare are progressing as quickly as they are. Plus my physics helped me. After my handball career, I have continued to run and train, says Carlén.
– Five years after the end of treatment, you can know something for sure, says Carlén’s personal doctor, the anti-doping expert Åke Andrén-Sandberg, in TV4’s Nyhetsmorgon, where they both participated.
One of the most memorable moments of Carlén’s career was when he left his shoes on the podium after losing to Croatia in the 1996 Olympic final, symbolically announcing that his national team career was over. Then a 15-year national team career ended.
From the archive: Per Carlén on the disappointment after the 1996 Olympic final loss in Atlanta: “Couldn’t get up even when the king came”
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Watch the clip in the player. Photo: / BILDBYRÅN
