Dear Ryan,
I had the great pleasure of meeting you with my wife in the hospitality at Woburn whilst spectating as a guest of Staysure at the 2018 event.
The charity for the event was Prostate Cancer UK and I supported them by buying a man of men badge and taking the information literature from the volunteer stand.
Some weeks later Golf Shake, the digital magazine I write for, were approached to support the same charity in an awareness-raising campaign within golf as the demographic of those affected fits our 400,000 golfing subscribers perfectly. I volunteered to support the campaign and began to research more about the disease based on the material I had collected at the Woburn event.
As a result of this learning I put myself forward for medical examination and in January 2019 was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer.
I consider myself lucky to have had the tumour confirmed at an early stage as this allows me to have access to all the possible treatment options.
I am asymptomatic so could easily have carried on blissfully unaware of the tumour growing within me.
Late diagnosis leads to an annual death toll of 11,500 in the UK alone so I must consider myself lucky. One death every 45 minutes.
I have been handling my diagnosis by becoming an ambassador for the charity and talking to groups about the disease.
I know of at least 6 people who have heard my talks that have now also been diagnosed and have been successfully treated.
Golfshake magazine has been very supportive and have been carrying information about the disease directly linked on our website since my diagnosis.
As part of my review duties I have been visiting numerous golf clubs around Europe and “Flying the Flag” using a PCUK pin flag on each 8th green signifying that 1 in 8 men in the UK will be affected by the disease. This has been promoted through all our social media channels.
Despite not knowing my final prognosis I have now decided to publish the story of my diagnosis via the magazine in partnership with the charity to helpfully bring home the message that men need to be proactive in getting health checks. Despite this being the most common cancer there are no government-sponsored screening programmes so it is totally patient-led.
I attach a copy of the proposed articles supporting PCUK as they reference the help that Staysure gave me in creating the awareness I needed to get myself checked.
The 3 articles are planned for publication around the start of October 2020.
If you are considering supporting a charity with the Legends Tour I would ask you sincerely to consider Prostate Cancer UK as the Over 50 male is exactly the most affected demographic by the disease.
Having the Legends team display the man of men badge would be an incredible message of support for a wonderful charity at a very difficult time given the massive reduction in donations due to Covid-19. Your decision to support PCUK in 2018 saved my life and has directly led to another 6 lives at least being saved through my awareness talks..
Your decision to support PCUK in 2018 saved my life and has directly led to another 6 lives at least being saved through my awareness talks. Hopefully, the Golfshake campaign has also had a similar positive impact.
A simple thank you does not seem enough but it is sent with great appreciation to yourself and your team.
I also include a link to my article detailing the wonderful experience I enjoyed last year playing in the Seniors Open Pro Am at the London Golf Club as a partner to Phil Price and Jarmo Sandelin on behalf of Golfshake. It was one of the best golfing experiences of my life as my son returned from his golf scholarship in the USA to caddy for me.
Read the full article on Golfshake
I wish you total success with your Legends Tour venture as it appears I was one of the first to enjoy such an incredible experience.
Given the success enjoyed by both Phil and Jarmo after my partnership with them in the Pro Am I have taken to claiming it as the “Golfshake” factor.
If I can assist further in promoting your efforts I would be happy to help.
Best wishes,
Andrew Picken
Find out more about Prostate Cancer UK
