Men's Health: Don't ignore cancer's warning signs
Darren Hayes was like most blokes when it came to talking about his health.
So when he found a lump in one of his testicles he ignored it.
But after a few weeks and the lump was still there he decided to go to his doctor. It was a decision that could have saved his life.
The lump turned out to be cancerous and within a week he had had the tumour removed.
"I am naturally a very relaxed and positive person, but it was a shock when you eventually get them to say the word cancer. But I was determined to fight it and that's what I did."
Darren's diagnosis came just as he was leaving his job as marketing manager for Barnsley Football Club in June 2007.
"Leaving my job meant that I could take the time I needed to recover properly."
A month of chemotherapy was followed by six months of recuperation which also gave Darren, now 36, more time to spend with his three children, the youngest of which was born just weeks before he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.
"I was actually more worried that I might have passed it on to Jenson, as there was a chance I might have had the cancer when he was conceived, but doctors said that he would have no increased risk," he says.
"I think that I was lucky. When I went to hospital and saw people dying of what I had it was very upsetting. I always say that it was like me having a cold when they had pneumonia, I feel very lucky to have gone through the treatment so well."
Darren had his operation at Rotherham Hospital and his follow-up treatment at Weston Park Hospital in Sheffield – one of only three dedicated cancer centres in the country.
"People don't realise that Weston Park is not just for the people of Sheffield but for everyone north of Nottingham and south of Newcastle," he says.
Once recovered Darren pledged to raise as much money as he could for Weston Park, and possibly more importantly, to raise awareness of men's cancers.
"Men's cancers just don't get the publicity that women's cancers do. Men need to be made aware of the need to examine themselves and to start talking about their health more. Cancers like testicular cancer are treatable but you have to catch them early not ignore them."
With contacts he has made through his job at Barnsley FC and also childhood friends such as Darren Gough, Darren has already raised more than 15,000 for the Weston Park charity with two events he hopes to hold annually. Yorkshire and England cricketing hero Darren Gough has also been quick to lend his support and along with Darren is now a patron of the appeal.
"I have known Darren since I was about ten and when I told him what had happened to me and asked whether he would lend his support he was the one who came up with the idea of an annual golf tournament."
The star-studded event will take place during Weston Park's men's cancer awareness month on June 24 at Beauchief Golf Course. It will be followed by a celebrity dinner at Sheffield City Hall Ballroom from 7pm.
"Sadly most of us will be affected by cancer at some point in our lives," says the cricket star. "This is an important charity and I want to help out as much as I can and hopefully make a difference."
Darren Gough and darts world champion Dennis Priestly, himself treated at Weston Park and now a patron, will be playing in the tournament.
"Dennis helped me through my cancer and then ironically he was diagnosed with cancer as well so we have helped each other."
Darren now finds it easy to talk about his health and is urging other men to do the same.
"The one thing I want to know is why. Not necessarily why me? But why after being very healthy and having nothing wrong with me, within 16 months I had developed cancer. I don't know that anyone will ever be able to answer that question."
For more information, call Weston Park Cancer Charity on 0114 226 5370.
Early treatment is crucial
Testicular cancer, though the most common cancer in young men, is rare. Overall there are about 2,000 cases diagnosed each year in the UK. The highest at-risk age group is between 18-32 years old. Between the age of 15 and 50 about 1 in 500 develop this problem.
In more than one third of cases, the cancer has already spread by the time of diagnosis. Despite this, today more than 95 per cent of patients are cured, though many need toxic drug treatment (chemotherapy).
If caught at an early stage, the treatment is much more simple and has a 99 per cent cure rate. But only five per cent of men regularly check their testicles.
How to support weston park
Weston Park Hospital is the only dedicated cancer hospital in the region and one of only three in the
UK, and has the only radiotherapy department in South Yorkshire.
To raise awareness of the issues surrounding male cancer, Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity's Men's Cancer Campaign is running until July 12. It also includes a number of fund-raising events particularly aimed at men such as golf days and football tournaments and culminates in the Run in the Park, a 10k and 3k family fun run, on Sunday July 12 at Graves Park, Sheffield.
To find out more visit www.wphcancercharity.org.uk.
Email to a friend
Print this page- Three-inch blanket of snow heading our way today
- Alan Shearer in list of favourites for Leeds and England jobs: Latest odds
- Barnsley’s Keith Hill invokes Fawlty Towers over link with Leeds job
- McCormack feels United search can be narrowed down
- Redfearn throws down gauntlet as queue builds at Elland Road
- Rival chips in with £500,000 to restore the original Harry Ramsden’s
- Visit from Princess as Serbian culture celebrated
- Was this woman on your train to Manchester Airport?
- SportsTalk: Leeds United’s manager search, Super League and Calcutta Cup
- Libraries aren’t like supermarkets, they are magical places where dreams begin
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Yorkshire
Sunday 12 February 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 1 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 4 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: West
