Yorkshire businessman talks about his battle with testicular cancer for Movember

It's Movember when the spotlight is turned on men's cancer. Catherine Scott talks to one man about his reasons for raising awareness.

Yorkshire businessman Jamie Keeble is going an extra mile to raise awareness of men’s cancer.

The 26-year-old cofounder of HECK sausages is rebranding HECK’s chicken sausages CHECK in a bid to raise awareness and £25,000 for the Movember Foundation

For Jamie it is a very personal campaign.

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“In April I found a small hard lump in my right testicle and straight away I knew it wasn’t right,” says Jamie.

“I went to my GP the next day and they refered me for a scan.”

The scan revealed a five pence piece sized tumour in Jamie’s testicle.

“I had mentally prepared myself for the worst as I think you know when something in your own body isn’t right even though I didn’t have any other symptoms.”

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Within two weeks Jamie had an operation to remove the tumour and reconstruct his testicle.

He then under went a dose of chemotherapy to reduce the chances of the cancer returnin.

“As difficult as it was to hear the news, I’m glad I spoke up. Although I check myself and discovered the tumour it was an aggressive form of cancer which was growing very quickly. I would urge all men to check themselves regulary and go to the doctor if they find somethig they aren’t happy with.”

Jamie and his dad Andrew decided they wanted to do something to support Movember.

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They comissioned some research to look into how much British men know about testicular cancer.

“What our research shows is that far too many young men don’t realise this cancer is more likely to affect us than our dads,” says Jamie.

“It also shows that too many men would stay quiet if they found something and that there is a widespread lack of knowledge about what ‘wrong’ feels like.”

Director of Partnerships at Movember UK & Europe, Laura Mair, says “Unfortunately this latest polling from HECK is accurate. Too many men are not checking themselves, not knowing what to look for and being too embarrassed to discuss the subject.

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“Tackling these taboos head on, getting more men educated on the health risks they face, taking action when needed and talking when things get tough, is exactly why The Movember Foundation exists.”

For more information visit uk.movember.com

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