I am attempting my first (and probably last) Ultra Marathon on June 21st 2025 to raise funds for Prost8 to provide additional HIFU units across the NHS in the UK to help men like me benefit from better outcomes following a diagnosis of prostate cancer. This will form part of the Cotswold Way Ultra Challenge and cover the 33 miles from Cirencester to Wotton-under-edge in Gloucestershire.

I was diagnosed with intermediate grade Prostate Cancer in November 2023. This followed my earlier diagnosis and successful treatment of Tonsil cancer a year earlier - I know, 2 unrelated cancers in little over 12 months, you couldn't make that up!

My Prostate cancer was discovered because I took the advice of my lovely wife, Saskia and went to my GP for a PSA blood test as I had reached a certain age. If I was honest I probably wouldn't have gone if it was just down to me as I had no symptoms and felt perfectly fine. I was your typical man who didn't want to discuss it and as far as I was concerned if it wasn’t broken I didn’t want to fix it.

I had weighed up all my available options for treatment. I wasn't prepared to take the risk of 'wait & see' and due to having had my maximum dosage of Radiotherapy previously the only other option seemed to be a Prostatectomy. This involved surgery to remove my prostate with the potential after effects of urinary and erectile dysfunction problems not to mention the risk of infection and a longer recovery period. None of these options were particularly appealing so I looked for a better way.

With the help and support of my local GP and other medical professionals I was put forward and accepted to be treated for High Intensity Focal Ultrasound (HIFU) at the RUH in Bath. This revolutionary option is minimally invasive and offers faster recovery times with the same likely success rates as the traditional treatments but without the "unnecessary” lifestyle consequences

My HIFU treatment was successfully completed in September 2024 under the skill and expertise of top Urology consultants Lucy Simmonds and Jon McFarlane. The positive outcome was confirmed just before Christmas when following my last PSA test I was for the first time informed that I am now within the 'normal' range with a reduction of over 70% from my previous test.

The least I can do is support the Prost8 charity to help raise funds to have more HIFU units available across the whole of the country. This will enable more men to have better outcomes.In the meantime if men don’t want to get a PSA test for themselves then get one for those who love them the most. You never know it might just save a life !!!!

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.