Our News

Famous names from the world of sport and politics have received an insight into the Trust’s prostate cancer awareness work during a high-profile cricketing event.

Macmillan Consultant Urological Surgeon Jyoti Shah MBE was invited to help spread the message about prostate cancer at the recent the England vs. West Indies One-Day International at Edgbaston.

Miss Shah attended the event in support of the Blue for Bob Day in her professional partnership with the  Bob Willis Fund .

 

The Fund honours the legacy of England legend Bob Willis, who died of prostate cancer in 2019 aged 70.

His family set up a Fund in his name to raise funds to support research into prostate cancer, with the hope of the introduction of a nationally-accessible, accurate screening programme for the disease. 

Prostate cancer affects one in eight men (and one in four black men) in the UK.

As part of the awareness raising campaign on the day, North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust surgeon Miss Shah was able to deliver the message around testing to dozens of people by means of a stand packed with literature and copies of her book – Fighting Prostate Cancer.

Among those to receive a copy was former Prime Minister and Prostate Cancer Research ambassador, Rishi Sunak, who himself recently shared that he had undergone a prostate health check.

 

Mr Sunak was among the many VIP guests at the event, along with another former Prime Minister, and huge cricketing fan, the Rt Hon Sir John Major. 

An ambassador for the Bob Willis Fund, Sir John Major – who lives in Huntingdonshire – also heard firsthand from Miss Shah about the work she does within our local hospitals and the community, and they chatted at length about screening for the disease.

 

Miss Shah also agreed to perform PSA ( Prostate-Specific Antigen) blood tests on former England Test cricketers and broadcasters Mark Butcher and Jonathan Agnew during the Test Match’s live TV and radio coverage. 

Since introducing her Fighting Prostate Cancer campaign in community settings around the UK in 2016, more than 3,500 men have been screened – leading to the detection of over 100 cancer cases.

This event has not only helped to put prostate cancer at the top of the men’s agenda – but is a timely reminder for Men’s Health Week June 9-15.  

Miss Shah said: “A lot of men like to bury their head in the sand when it comes to their health. They are often too busy to go to their doctor or to access the relevant services.

“But because prostate cancer often doesn’t have any symptoms – they won’t appreciate the need to go and get checked for a problem that effectively doesn’t exist. However, because there are no signs, that doesn’t mean that it’s not there.

“Prostate cancer is a silent killer, but it is a cancer that we can cure if we pick it up early enough. With Father’s Day and Men’s Health Week approaching, it gives us a timely reminder to reach out to the men in our lives and prompt them to think about all aspects of their health and seek advice if they feel something isn’t quite right.”

 

Macmillan Consultant Urological Surgeon Jyoti Shah MBE with former Prime Ministers Rt Hon Sir John Major and Rishi Sunak – and with former cricketer and broadcaster Johnathan Agnew.

Left to right: Kate Willis (Bob Willis’ daughter) Sir John Major, Jonathan Agnew and Miss Jyoti Shah MBE.