This is my story

My name is Alan Garrett, I have lived in Killamarsh and latterly Mosborough for over 40 years. I have 3 long standing friends of a similar age, Richard Beech, Alan Charles and Alan Sargeant. Whether we are at a football match or the pub, conversation generally gets around to male health issues particularly around having an enlarged prostate. However, I didn’t have these problems to the same extent as my friends, so I thought I was just lucky.

Towards the beginning of 2023 I had aching muscles particularly in my shoulders. I visited my GP. A subsequent blood test revealed a very high PSA reading and following scans it was confirmed that I had aggressive prostate cancer. I hoped for surgery to remove my prostrate as a quick resolution to the issue. However, further scans showed that the cancer was almost touching other organs and the surgeon advised that Radiotherapy alongside Hormone Therapy was the only realistic option. At the end of 2023 I began Hormone Therapy in an attempt to shrink the cancer and I have now just completed my Radiotherapy.

Whilst undergoing this treatment, I became aware of the work of Prostate Cancer UK and their campaign for the screening of all men of our age. This has made me think that had this already been in place, my cancer might have been detected earlier. Perhaps I could have had earlier treatment, perhaps more options of treatment. My experience has inspired me to get behind their campaign because 12,000 men die of prostate cancer each year and it’s the most common cancer that doesn’t have a national screening programme. It’s about time that changed!!

Alongside my growing awareness, my friends have been supportive and share my views on promoting the Prostate Cancer UK cause. Two of my friends Richard and Alan S are volunteers on the Chesterfield Canal Restoration Trust. During their work they became aware of a fund-raising opportunity pulling a barge along a few miles of canal. Dawn Rose is a 10-ton traditional barge that uses a shire horse to pull it. (NO ENGINE) They presented the idea to me that we could harness ourselves in place of the horse and do a sponsored pull. I readily agreed and we put this fund-raising idea to Prostate Cancer UK. They have endorsed our idea. We have organised this pull to take place on June 30th and are in the process of setting up a Just Giving page. We will be photographing this ‘Pull’ and these will be uploaded to the just Giving page ASAP after the event.

WE are pitching this event as ‘Men Pulling for Men’. If you have any empathy with my story, please consider making a donation, however small. WE need to make this screening happen. This is our attempt to make sure it does.

Thank you for reading.