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Sponsored shave for the Prostate Cancer Charity

 

I have had a beard for nearly 40 years, but this month, November 2010, I am shaving it off, leaving only a moustache.

 

This is a variation on the Movember (moustache in November) fund-raising exercise where unfortunate clean-shaven men grow a moustache for the month and get part-way to a decent state.  The Prostate Cancer Charity is a cause close to my heart at the moment, as I was diagnosed with prostate cancer this Autumn.  I am fortunate in that, thanks to annual medical assessments and sophisticated diagnostic techniques, my tumour has been discovered at an early stage and localised exactly, so that on 5 November, I had a less invasive, recently-developed treatment in which only part of the prostate tissue is destroyed, using focused high intensity ultrasound. If the Prostate Cancer Charity achieves its goals more men will be able to benefit from early diagnosis and treatment.  Far too often the disease is discovered at a much later stage when it is impossible to stop it progressing.The Prostate Cancer Charity has five strategic goals to be achieved by 2020.Goal 1    By 2020 significantly more men will survive prostate cancer.  In achieving this goal, the focus is on funding and promoting research.Goal 2    By 2020 society will understand the key facts about prostate cancer and will act on that knowledge.  If people are not aware of the disease and what can be done to detect and treat it, opportunities to diagnose and treat early will be missed.Goal 3    By 2020 Afro Caribbean men and women will know more about prostate cancer and will act on that knowledge.  In the UK, the rate of prostate cancer is approximately three times greater than average for Afro Caribbean men.  Despite this, the level of awareness of the disease in the Afro Caribbean community is lower than average.Goal 4    By 2020 inequalities in access to high quality prostate cancer services will be reduced.  I am very aware of this inequality – my treatment is available privately or probably otherwise only as part of a clinical trial.Goal 5    By 2020, people affected by prostate cancer will have their information and support needs addressed effectively.  The charity itself is an excellent source of information.

 

 

By supporting the charity you will be helping it to achieve these aims. 

Please give generously and use gift aid, if eligible.