David Brooks cried tears of joy after being told he is to become a dad – something the Wales forward feared might not happen following his 2021 cancer diagnosis.
Brooks, who was diagnosed with stage-two Hodgkin lymphoma nearly four years ago, and wife Flora are expecting their first child on November 1.
The 27-year-old Bournemouth player announced he was cancer-free in May 2022, but the long-term effects of the disease in terms of fathering children were unclear.
“Obviously when I was diagnosed you have those conversations and there were never any guarantees that I would be able to have children in the future,” said Brooks, who has linked up with the Wales squad for their World Cup qualifying double header against Liechtenstein and Belgium.
“There was a chance it wouldn’t have been possible and I was really lucky that it came naturally. After my treatment things went back to normal so, of course, I was really happy.
“We were trying so it wasn’t a massive shock, but there were a few tears.
“We always wanted kids at some point, but the situation kind of took it out of hands a little bit.
“So it’s obviously very nice for everything to come naturally and progress into being a family.
“We’re really looking forward to it, even though she is going through everything that comes with being pregnant.”
Brooks was the Wales hero in their last World Cup qualifier against North Macedonia in March.
His equaliser in the sixth minute of stoppage time secured a precious 1-1 draw, making it four points from the opening two qualifiers and extending Craig Bellamy’s unbeaten start as Dragons manager to eight games.
“I think it instils a little bit of fear into who we are playing,” said Brooks.
“They know we are not going to give up, even if it’s the 96th minute. It’s a massive positive.
“If felt like a big goal in North Macedonia and it makes the table looks a lot better for us. I feel like we are on a good journey.”
Brooks says he is now in the “old box” at 27 with the Wales squad having changed so much in recent years.
Gareth Bale and Joe Allen are retired and captain Aaron Ramsey, the third standout member of the team which reached the semi-finals of Euro 2016, is recovering from another injury setback.
Brooks said: “This is probably the first campaign we have had without them.
“There’s a lot of young talent coming through and a lot of lads, including myself, who have been waiting for an opportunity to showcase ourselves.
“We are all looking as a collective to try to move forward, instead of it being about the special individual.”
