Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

 Background

I was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer on Feb 14th 2009 - St Valentine's Day! I had no symptoms whatsoever prior to diagnosis. Three months earlier my wife, a Practice Nurse, suggested I should get myself a PSA test (a simple blood test) at my local surgery; as she knew Prostate Cancer was being diagnosed in ever increasing numbers of men of my age - the over 50's. The result of my first test, when it came back just a few days later, triggered three more PSA tests one month apart and finally a biopsy and confirmation of Prostate Cancer. 

With advice, I opted for a Radical Laparascopic Prostate Removal -carried out in August 2009 at the Royal Surrey in Guildford, Surrey. Mr Chris Eden performed a miracle of micro surgery and provided me, some two weeks after surgery with some startling news - I had been living, completely unaware for four to five years with a growing tumour. This chilling fact alone has been the catalyst that has galvanised me into doing something to try and prevent other men failing to have a PSA test through a lack of awareness.

My challenge is to generate as much publicity as possible - to promote both awareness and early diagnosis.  My thanks go to my main sponsors, The Prostate Cancer Charity  for agreeing to help me publicise the three to four month voyage throughout. For my part I will also be badgering local press and media in major ports and towns around our coast!

In the UK around 35,000 men are diagnosed each year with Prostate Cancer. Tragically over 20,000 will die of it which, equates to one man an hour! Early detection will dramatically reduce this horrific toll.

My orgional intention was to encourage a minimum of 1000 50+ year old men to have their first PSA test. This has now been raised to 2500 - 1 test for each nautical mile! But so many family, friends and colleagues want to do more than just give their support to my challenge, that this 'Just Giving' page is for them and others who I meet during the challenge, who wish to make a donation. Alternatively, as many of you have chosen to do, you can make a donation directly to the Charity; but please let me know, so that I can accont for it. 

My blog at www.sailingchallenge.blogspot.com  was updated almost daily throughout the voyagel Some of it quite exciting.......

Now that the voyage has been completed I still intend to carry on raising awareness as best I can.

Thank you so much.

 

Simon