Story
Help Me Raise Funds for Prostate Cancer Research by Running the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon
On May 11th, 2025, I will be running the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon along with my brother to raise funds for the Bob Willis Fund. This cause is incredibly close to my heart, as it aims to raise awareness and support critical research into prostate cancer. Their goal is to help introduce a nationally accessible, accurate screening programme that could save the lives of many beloved men.
In September 2024, my dad was diagnosed with stage 2 aggressive prostate cancer. He showed no symptoms. A lifelong cricket fan, my dad was inspired by a series of short films aired during Blue for Bob Day, in memory of England cricketer Bob Willis who sadly passed away in 2019, to get checked out. What we all expected to be a routine check-up turned into a surprising diagnosis. To our surprise, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. This was especially shocking because my dad is someone we could barely get to do a COVID test, so his agreement to get tested in the first place was shocking enough.
Thankfully, he received treatment and was given the all-clear in January. Despite the initial fear, the process was fast, efficient, and demonstrated the immense value of early diagnosis. The awareness raised by the fund quite literally saved my dad's life, and he has since encouraged many others to get themselves checked out!
When asked by his NHS nurses what inspired him to seek tests, they had not heard of the fund before. I was also shocked to find out how much stigma surrounds prostate cancer and how it affects men's willingness to talk about it. In the UK:
12,000 die of prostate cancer in the UK every year.
37% of prostate cancer cases are diagnosed in the late stages (stages 3 and 4)
42% of prostate cancer patients saw their GP with symptoms twice or more before they were referred (with 6% seen 5 or more times prior to referral).
With prostate cancer set to become the most prevalent cancer in the UK within the next 12 years, it is critical to support research into prostate cancer. The fund hope to help introduce a nationally accessible, accurate screening programme that could save the lives of many beloved men.
Whether you can spare some change to donate or simply share this story and the work the Bob Willis Fund is doing, it would be greatly appreciated. Who knows, it could just save a life!
if you would like to learn more about the Bob Willis Fund, their website is here: https://bobwillisfund.org/
Special Offer: Any donations over £10 can be accompanied by a song request that I will add to my playlist for the day. For an exclusive offer, donate £20 and request 3 songs – trust me, I'll have time to listen to them
Thank you for your support!
Andy