[Mark Mitchell]

Sheene condition gives cause for concern.



The news that double world motorcycle world champion Barry Sheene has had to withdraw from the flag waving ceremony at the end of this weekend's Australian F1 Grand Prix has raised further fears over the state of his health.
The 52-year old Briton, now resident on Australia's Gold Coast, was diagnosed with stomach and oesophagus cancer last July, but insisted on using alternative therapies in his early fight against the disease, rather than following doctors' advice to proceed with the more usual chemotherapy.

"Stomach and oesophagus are difficult cancers, but I don't believe in chemotherapy," Sheene is quoted as saying at the time of his diagnosis, "I think it's just poison, so I'm not going to get involved in that."

According to the British press, however, the fans' favourite may be living on borrowed time unless he reverts to the suggested therapy.

"Barry is very ill," friend and fellow racer Steve Parrish told the News of the World late last month, "He has a very nasty form of cancer - one of the toughest to sort out.

"I've just spent six days with him, and he's more tired and weaker than he's ever been in his life. How long he has got to live, I don't know. He is positive that he is going to beat it, but saying 'it's got the better of me and I'm going to roll over just isn't Barry'."

The report claimed that Sheene was struggling to get out of bed and was losing weight rapidly as he struggled to keep what little food he ate in his system, prompting medical experts to suggest that he may now be in the final stages of his fight for life.