I was saddened today to read a story in the Telegraph, written by the Rugby Correspondent Mick Cleary. It was an update on the situation of one of Rugby's finest, Andy Ripley, whose Prostate Cancer has returned with a vengeance and spread to other parts of his body. I cannot begin to do justice to the story, but it brings home to me just how much we need to fight this hidden cancer. Anyone over the age of 40 who played or watched rugby will hopefully remember Ripley as one of the stand out players who played the game in the amateur era, but who was one of the most "professional" athletes, something that continued over the years that followed as he came to wider acclaim through the "superstars" programme, and who narrowly missed out on a seat in the boat race aged near to 50.
As a 47 year old man, I am heading towards the time when risk is at its peak statistically, and having met the guys at the Prostate Cancer Charity I know how hard they are working to get the facts out there and into the hands of men like me and their families. Please go and look at www.hiddencancer.org.uk and get the facts, and maybe get involved. Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, and one man dies every hour as a result. All from a cancer that men don't want to talk about, don't understand, and don't look out for.
Most businessmen conduct risk analysis in their roles, and yet when it comes to their lives many men don't bother to get informed. It doesn't take long, look at the website and understand. And say a prayer for Andy Ripley, a great man laid low by a hidden cancer.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/7528376/Former-England-and-Rosslyn-Park-star-Andy-Ripley-stands-tall-in-face-of-prostate-cancer.html
www.hiddencancer.org.uk
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment