THE Father of a Winsford man who died of prostate cancer is calling on the authorities to roll out better screening at GPs.

Ken Smith lost his son 48-year-old son Mark to the disease last July and has set up a memorial fund alongside wife, Adele, to raise money for research and awareness.

“Doctors just aren’t testing enough; it’s ridiculous,” said Ken, 73, of Forest Road.

“By the time my son was diagnosed, he was so far gone it was unbelievable. People shouldn’t be going that far. He must have had it for five years by that point.

“As a parent it’s so hard. You can’t describe the feeling. Mark was grown up, but he was still my child.

“It’s unthinkable that you’re going to outlive your children. I lost four sisters to cancer and none of them suffered like my son did.

“There’s not enough being done to prevent this. Breast cancer gets far more publicity but prostate cancer is just as big a killer.”

Mark’s diagnosis in his forties mirrors what Winsford prostate cancer fundraising pioneer, Gary Steele has seen over the years – that prostate cancer is not an ‘old man’s disease’.

Ken is supporting a forthcoming Leighton Hospital Prostate Cancer Support Group test at Asda on May 18 and is keen to spread Gary’s message that the Government needs to get a grip on prostate cancer testing – which lags behind the rest of Europe and America.

“The job that Gary’s doing is absolutely first class,” said Ken. “There must be hundreds throughout this country that owe their life to him.”

“Men are getting prostate cancer in their thirties and forties but it’s just not accepted that young people are suffering. By the time they find out; it’s too late.

“We need wider testing for men. It’s got to be brought to the attention of the government. They’ve got to do something about it and make sure GPs test more.”

To get in touch with Gary’s Leighton support group, call 01606 553097.

 

Mark put a bad back down to a working life in manual labour jobs.

But a persistent bad back is one signifier of prostate cancer, as is pain in the hips, pelvis and other bony areas.

Other symptoms can include:- Having to rush to the toilet to pass urine.

Passing urine more often than usual, especially at night.

Difficulty passing urine, including straining to pass it or stopping and starting.

A sense of not being able to completely empty the bladder.

Pain when passing urine.

Blood in the urine or semen.