THE MAYOR of Solihull was one of over 700 men who attended a free prostate cancer testing day at Spire Parkway Hospital.
On Saturday (April 14), the blood samples – to check for signs of prostate cancer – were carried out by a team of nurses and healthcare assistants from the hospital.
As hundreds queued in the sunshine the Mayor Stuart Davis – who chose Prostate Cancer UK as one of his charity’s Mayoral charities – said he was delighted to see so many people ‘taking the test’.
He said: “This is an amazing turnout, unbelievable really. There is so much work goes into making people aware of prostate cancer and the need to be checked out and this shows that the message is getting across.
“It is also fantastic to see so many Afro-Caribbean men here today – Afro-Caribbean men are twice as likely to get prostate cancer than other men – people at Spire Parkway can be very proud of the service they are providing.”
Consultant urologist Mr Vivek Wadhwa was on hand throughout to lend his expertise and answer questions, while leading the team of ‘blood-takers’ was matron Pat Munday.
She said: “We were all stunned when the queues started to form.
“Last year we tested about 250 men and we thought that was a busy day.
“To get blood samples from over 700 really was quite a feat and I would like to thank everyone who helped throughout the day. “Some men queued for nearly two hours but there wasn’t a single grumble all day – just lots of fun and laughter – it was quite a party atmosphere.”
Mr Wadhwa added: “It was a great day – I even met one man who had travelled all the way from Sheffield because his sister living in Solihull had heard about it and told him he had to come over and get tested.”
Now the samples are being analysed in the lab and every man tested will receive a letter giving his results within the next three weeks.
