A message from Hazel Yates
The Rotary Club of Oswestry are holding a Charity Walk - Men Walking 4 Men
Here are details of a Charity Walk taking place on Sunday 12th May, from 10.00am, starting from the Maes y llan, Oswestry School's playing fields, to raise funds for and awareness of male cancer charities.
Attached is the registration form giving more details of the route and the event.
Hazel Yates
for The Rotary Club of Oswestry
Rotary Club of Oswestry's 'Men Walking 4 Men' Event
“So, secondly, the £10 entry fee is to raise funds for research into the most common male cancers – something of a poor relation in the funding stakes. More research is needed to find better methods of diagnosis and better treatments with fewer side-effects. At the beginning of the year, for instance, Sky News reported: ‘Research into the most common male cancer in the UK is chronically underfunded compared with its female equivalent, a charity has warned. New figures show that although it is the fourth most common cancer overall, prostate cancer lies 20th in the league table of annual cancer research spending.
‘The figures, published by Prostate Cancer UK , show that breast cancer - the most common female cancer which has a similar death rate as prostate cancer - received more than double the annual research spend. While breast cancer research received £853 per case diagnosed, prostate cancer research received £417.
‘Prostate cancer kills one man every hour. The number of men with the disease is rising and it is predicted to become the most common cancer of all in the UK by 2030, according to Prostate Cancer UK.’
“Unlike breast cancer, where there is a highly regarded screening programme and much publicity for self-examination, the PSA test for prostate cancer remains controversial as a screening tool. Both prostate and testicular cancer (with nearly 2000 cases a year and increasing, the most common cancer in men aged 15 to 45) have excellent survival rates when diagnosed early.
“However, early intervention is hampered by ignorance of the symptoms to watch out for and by both male inertia and men’s embarrassment surrounding ‘down below’ symptoms.”
The main signs and symptoms of prostate cancer that should result in men seeking help from their GP are:
• Weak or reduced urinary flow
• Needing to urinate more often, particularly at night
• A feeling your bladder not completely emptied
• Difficulty starting to urinate
• Needing to suddenly rush to the toilet
But other possible signs include:
• New pain in hips, back or pelvis
• Heaviness in the chest
• Problems in getting or keeping an erection
• Blood in the urine or semen
In the case of testicular cancer, it is recommended that men examine themselves at least monthly and see their GPs if they detect:
• Any lump in either testicle
• Any enlargement of the testicle
• A feeling of heaviness in the scrotum
• A dull ache in abdomen or groin
• A sudden collection of fluid in the semen
• Growth or tenderness of the upper chest.
Any of these symptoms could be innocent or relate to another treatable condition, but the need for early medical advice is a key message that men need to heed.
John Ward added: “The Oswestry event on May 12th – details of which can be found on our website at www.rotarycluboswestry.co.uk - will directly support charities like Orchid and Prostate Cancer UK that do so much good work in this field but I hope that Rotary Clubs in the larger neighbouring towns like Chester, Wrexham Shrewsbury and Telford will latch on to this idea and run similar events next year so we can get some real momentum going. May 12th is our starting point and I hope many people, and especially men, will turn out to walk.”
-- Yoland Brown Brownhill House B&B, Ruyton XI Towns, nr. Shrewsbury SY4 1LR ShACC - Shropshire Alternative Car Club www.eleventowns.co.uk www.eleventowns.com www.ShACC-uk.org Tel: 01939 261 121 Fax: 01939 260626
