Men living in Scotland needed to help raise awareness of prostate cancer

8 October 2009

Men and their families affected by prostate cancer living in Scotland are being urged to join forces and take part in a pioneering awareness raising service to be launched on the east coast of Scotland.

The Prostate Cancer Charity’s Scotland team is looking for people who have been personally affected by the disease to get involved and help raise awareness of prostate cancer in their local communities, by hosting Charity information stands and giving talks about their experiences.

Suzy Mercer, Head of Scotland Operations for The Prostate Cancer Charity, explains: “Despite being one of the most common cancers in men in Scotland, for many people prostate cancer is still surrounded by myth and taboo. Hearing about prostate cancer directly from someone who has been affected by it is a really powerful way of spreading awareness of the disease and our volunteers are a vital part of this unique service – without them we can’t deliver it.”

“Until recently we have only been able to deliver this service in the west of Scotland, but now we are looking for people to help us expand our service to reach people in Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife, Tayside and Perth and Kinross.”

Rob Pearson, 61, a retired engineer, from Dunfermline, was diagnosed with prostate cancer nine years ago after a routine health check revealed there could be a problem with his prostate. After being successfully treated for the disease, Rob decided to volunteer for The Prostate Cancer Charity and has travelled across the country to give talks about the disease and his experience of it.

He said: “When I was diagnosed I knew very little about prostate cancer even though two of my work colleagues had been treated for it. When I retired I decided I wanted to do something positive and use my own experience of the disease to help make other men and their families more aware of the fact that prostate cancer isn’t just something that happens to other people and when the Charity launched its Scottish awareness raising service I jumped at the chance to get involved.

“While the idea of getting up and talking to a room full of strangers can be daunting for some, it is wonderful to know that you are helping to empower men and their families to be more aware of their health.”

The Prostate Cancer Charity is hoping to recruit 15 new volunteers by November to help it deliver its out reach programme across Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife, Tayside and Perth and Kinross.

“All of our volunteers are people affected by prostate cancer and they are the experts in what it is like to live with the disease; our volunteers are vital in helping us to reach out and explain the facts about prostate cancer. You don’t need to have any specific skills to join us, you just need to be happy to talk. I hope many people will sign up and help us continue to reach out to men and their families across Scotland,” Mercer added.

All volunteers will be given training and ongoing support from the Charity. The next training sessions are running in Fife this November.

Men living in Scotland needed to help raise awareness of prostate cancer