Friend's nagging about test saved Gordon's life

But his assumption of good health came to an abrupt halt last year when the Sheffield businessman was given the news that he had prostate cancer.

The diagnosis was all the more shocking as Gordon, who is expected to become the city's next Master Cutler, had no signs or symptoms of the cancer which affects only men.

And the disease, which was at an advanced stage, was only discovered because he was persuaded by a friend to seek out routine medical checks.

Now recovered and 18 months on he has decided to talk about his experiences in the hope of encouraging other men to get checked out.

"As far as I'm concerned I'm fine and I'm back to normal so I don't really think about it too much now," said the father of two. "I have gone public, in some ways against my better judgment, because I want to raise the profile of prostate cancer and the need for regular checks. After all, prostate cancer is known as the "silent killer."

His route to diagnosis began at a party when friend Joyce Klein pestered him to go to his doctors for a check as her husband

had developed prostate cancer.

I didn't even know what a PSA check was but she pestered me and pestered me and pestered me all evening, saying how important it was," said Gordon, aged 62, the chief executive of Aesseal, who with founder Chris Rea has developed the company into one of the world's leading seal manufacturers.

"I remember thinking 'Oh shut up Joyce, I've never been ill in my life and I'm not going to be ill in the future.' Very arrogant, I know, but that's how I felt."

The prostate gland which is situated just below the bladder is part of the male reproductive system, and its main function is to produce fluid which protects and enriches sperm.

During a routine visit to his GP, Gordon remembered to ask for a prostate-specific antigen test, which for someone aged 60 should be at a level below four.

His reading was three, which indicated no problems, so there was nothing to worry about.

Then a year later, during another routine visit to his GP, Gordon remembered Joyce's advice and again asked to have his PSA level checked. This time the news was different.

"Visiting my doctor two weeks later, I was told that the level was 8.6. My doctor told me it was probably nothing to worry about but he thought it sensible for me to go and see a specialist to make sure that everything was OK."

He was referred to John Anderson, consultant urological surgeon, who checked him out and recommended a biopsy.

"I still thought there would be no problem and so I was surprised when I received that phone call from him eight days later on March 28, 2006." The call was to tell him he had a serious form of the disease.

"I saw Mr Anderson on the morning of March 30 and he then explained that I had a very aggressive form of prostate cancer. Five of the samples were cancerous with most of them at the upper limit.

"He said there was only a 15 percent chance that it had not spread elsewhere and only a 45 percent chance that it had not spread extensively." Mr Anderson went through the various options ranging from routine monitoring, radiotherapy, surgery and injections and Gordon opted for surgery, to get rid of as much of the offending tissue as possible.

"We were due to go on holiday a week later with friends touring the national parks of America. We had been planning this holiday for 18 months but my wife and I both agreed that we should cancel this and within 10 days I was under Mr Anderson's knife."

During the operation the entire prostate was removed with some surrounding tissue as well as the pelvic lymph nodes. The surrounding tissue and lymph nodes were removed to check whether or not the cancer had spread.

"I hadn't realised, when I first visited Mr Anderson, that he is probably one of the UK's leading experts on prostate cancer and his skills ensured that vital nerves and blood vessels around the prostate were preserved," said Gordon. "Although the operation lasted two hours and I was in theatre for six hours, I couldn't believe how well I felt after the operation.

"Mr Anderson confirmed everything had gone well. I was in hospital for six days."

Three weeks later he went back for the results of the biopsy.

"I was prepared for the worst but hoping for the best. In the end, the news couldn't have been better," said Gordon. "The cancer hadn't spread to either the surrounding tissue or the lymph nodes. Without treatment the cancer would, undoubtedly, have progressed with a poor outlook, but I was back at work after eight-and-a-half weeks and was back to normal, and thankfully, still am.

"Without Joyce's pestering I would not have had my PSA checked and by the time there were symptoms it would almost certainly have been too late. I shall always be grateful to Joyce and the expert Mr Anderson and his team," said Gordon.

Friends have followed his lead and one friend was diagnosed with prostate cancer through a routine check.

There is debate within the medical profession as to whether or not PSA testing is necessary.

"I suspect this is because of cost and because of pressures on the NHS, rather than the fact that testing is not necessary," said Gordon.

"My message to men over the age of 50 is: have your PSA checked and don't be put off from doing so by your doctor. Have it done on a regular basis each year. It is only an indicator but an important one. In Germany and the USA, PSA levels are checked in men aged over 50 as a matter of routine," he added.

Factfile

Prostate

cancer kills one man in every hour in the UK. The disease mainly affects older men, with 95 percent of all patients between the ages of 45 and 80.n Over half of prostate cancers are detected before symptoms have developed by the PSA test, which is offered to men over 50 who have concerns by their GP.

Symptoms

can include passing urine more frequently, waking from sleep to pass urine, having to rush to the toilet urgently for fear of an accident, a weak stream with difficulty starting and stopping and dribbling urine after going to the toilet.

Most

men who have these symptoms do not have prostate cancer but should see their GP to rule out the disease.

Prostate

cancer is generally a slow-growing cancer and older men may not require treatment.

Those

who are younger or have an aggressive form can be treated with surgery, radiotherapy or hormone treatment.

it is caught early, patients will have the same life expectancy as everyone else.A popular movement to make sure we all get more active

WALKING running, dancing, swimming, playing football and tennis are just some of the ways that many Sheffielders are becoming more active.

And the Peoples Movement, a Sheffield City Council initiative which aims to spur us all to be more active, is hoping to convert even more of the population to take part in regular exercise sessions.

Mike Pye, city council cabinet advisor for culture and spokesperson for the Peoples Movement, said: "Increasing physical activity is very important and its really great to see that Sheffield is getting more active and more people are thinking about how they can change their lifestyles."

Organisers say there are plenty of ways for people and of all fitness abilities to get involved in activity.

This year, Race for Life in Sheffield was a huge success with as many as 10,000 runners taking part in the charitable event; the morning session was the quickest to get filled up when entry places were released.

Next year there is the potential for a third race to be added, which would possibly be aimed at men, in aid of the Cancer Research UK Bobby Moore fund. This race currently only takes place in London and Manchester.

A total of 4,516 people, almost 200 more than last year, also took part in this year's Sheffield Half Marathon. Next year organisers want to see this figure rise to 5,000 people.

During April around 800 young people also took part in the Festival of Athletics and a further 150 young people took part in the Sheffield Moon Walk – trebling the amount of young people in the previous year.

If you are ready to get more active you can enter the Tesco Junior Fun Run taking place on Saturday September 8 or the first Great Yorkshire Run on Sunday September 9.

The 10km road race is set to attract around 8,000 participants.

If you would like to take part in the races, entry places are available at www.greatrun.org or by calling 0845 3892200

But if running's not your thing then there's Chance to Dance, which took place in June for the seventh year running and has grown from 14 dance groups taking part to 27.

For further information and top tips on how to increase your physical activity and, in turn, increase your fitness levels, you can visit www.thepeoples movement.co.uk and receive help and advice to get started.

Fitness Factfile

Only

35 percent of people in Sheffield are active enough to avoid health risks.

Half

the city's population is overweight and one in six adults are obese.

There

is convincing evidence that physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of cancers of the colon and breast. Several studies also have reported links between physical activity and a reduced risk of cancers of the prostate, lung and lining of the uterus.

to 1,000 people are dying early as a result of being inactive this costs the Sheffield NHS around 25 million per year.

The

Government recommends that adults do 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on five or more days a week.

For

children, the Government advises one hour of moderate

intensity on most days of the week – and this can be

broken down into

bite-size chunks of 10 minutes.

Any

activity that leaves you slightly out of breath could be contributing to your physical activity levels.

For

example, if someone takes their dog for a brisk walk twice a day, and then spends 10 minutes vacuuming the house, this could have a positive impact on their health without them even realising.