John Beattie: My daughter tackled cancer then scored for Arsenal

For elite athletes like footballer Jen Beattie, medicine is often a routine procedure - injury, pain, scans, treatment and rehab flow in swift succession.

In October, when she received a breast cancer diagnosis at the age of 29, things became far less familiar.

Hundreds of miles away from family in the midst of a pandemic, the Scotland and Arsenal defender found herself asking the question: "Am I going to die?"

But, be it instinct or otherwise, Jen did not hesitate to have her case thoroughly investigated - something her father says may have saved her life.

"We all fell apart a bit," said John Beattie, host of BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime programme. "Jenny was the strongest one, she was like 'Dad, it's my issue' - it wasn't even a 'fight'.

"She got all of her scans, investigations and biopsies before it had spread. She asked all the direct questions, she made sure she spoke to her consultant. She's sufficiently free-minded to just do it herself.

"We all know people who have died from breast cancer. I think the truth is if she hadn't gone and seen about it off her own bat, the outcome would have been a lot worse."

Following a surgery to remove a lump in her breast, Jen was told she would not require chemotherapy and began a course of radiation.

The family in Glasgow rallied around London-based Jen from afar given the increasingly stringent travel restrictions over winter.

Daily phone calls with her brother and sister were a great source of support and the family were permitted two essential visits for milestones in Jen's treatment.

But John said the miles separating him from his daughter often took their toll.

"The distance was impossible," he told the Mornings with Kaye Adams programme. "We're one of these families where we do constantly remind ourselves how lucky we are.

"Not being able to be there with the youngest one when she's being told terrible things was tough. Having somebody younger than you in the family die, which might have been the possibility, was the thing we'd never even dreamt of."

Jen added: "For me I just wanted to stay positive, I remember so many conversations over the phone with my sister and my brother, they kept me on the right track."

It's now four months on from Jen's diagnosis and her course of radiation is complete. She is now an advocate for open communication around cancer, giving her first interview on her experience to the BBC in December.

In the first days of the illness, she admitted some subjects were too raw to discuss, even with family.

But she continues to share her story in the hope that people with health concerns will be encouraged to seek help from the NHS, despite challenges caused by coronavirus.

"Diagnoses had gone down massively because of Covid," she said. "I can only speak for my experience - hospitals were super safe and everyone was following the guidelines.

"The whole point of doing this is to encourage people during a really, really difficult time, with so many uncertainties, to not neglect other important things."

As well as drawing strength from her family, Jen said continuing to train and play football through cancer treatment gave her "a clear head space".

It led to her scoring for Arsenal in a 5-0 WSL victory over Brighton just three days after her diagnosis - a team celebration that was particularly moving for John watching at home.

"Nobody knew [about her diagnosis]," he said. "The commentators didn't know - but the team knew and just this reaction of these young women together was fantastic

"Jenny is a brilliant woman and a brilliant footballer, but she had so much love - that's what got me.

"We're all incredibly proud of her for handling it the way she did."