Sunderland-born football legend Mick Harford is among those backing an "absolutely brilliant" new lifesaving initiative to take on prostate cancer: a football club called Prostate FC (PFC).
Launched by charity Prostate Cancer UK, PFC is a community of football fans, players and coaches aiming to work together to tackle prostate cancer. The idea is to spread the word about the brutal illness, and encourage anyone who might need to take a test, to get tested early and therefore stop the disease before it becomes more dangerous.
Mick, who played for both the Sunderland and Newcastle United before going on to become a Luton Town legend as a player and coach, is a big fan of the scheme, and has spoken about how he's had massive support from the "football family" on his own cancer journey.
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Mick told ChronicleLive: "It's an absolutely brilliant initiative. It gives everyone a chance to join together for a common cause. It's a great opportunity for each and every one of us to get the word out there. This is something that affects so many of us."
He himself was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2020, and he continues to undergo treatment - because his cancer was caught relatively late. However he said he is currently "in a good place" - and thanked the support of the wider football community.
He said: "It's massive, the support for me has been massive. That's been the case throughout the football family, and I can't thank people enough. Especially the Luton fans who sang my name every week when I wasn't able to be at the games.
"It came to me when I was at a game just how many people in the crowd might have prostate cancer without knowing it. And my thinking was that if I could help just one of them, that's done the business."
Mick's story has become entwined with that of Les Turton, who works behind the scenes as a host at Luton Town. Les has had successful prostate cancer surgery. Mick added: "Les has become a bit of a legend at Luton, and works on the main reception, where the players come in, the directors’ entrances.
"He meets and greets all the players, all the opposition managers and he makes them feel very, very welcome and he does a magnificent job. We’re very proud of him."
Les himself said Mick's diagnosis was a lesson for us all. He said: "Mick was our star centre forward and a legend here for so many reasons. He would run through a brick wall for you but you’d never have thought that he would have prostate cancer. In fact I didn’t know anyone affected by prostate cancer before hearing his story.
"However much the hospital and the doctors tell you, nothing actually beats talking to someone who has also had it. Its only once you’ve had it that you realise prostate cancer can strike at any walk of life."
Earlier this year, Prostate Cancer UK released data showing that men in the North East were more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer late - when it has spread. One suggestion for why this is the case is that men can be more reticent to talk about embarrassing or difficult things, especially when related to their masculinity.
Talking about this, Mick said: "I get it, talking about cancer and getting the tests can be uncomfortable, but all I can say is that the earlier you get it diagnosed, the better. It's a horrible disease, but if you've got it, the sooner you start treatment the better. It's curable if you catch it early.
Both Mick and Les reiterated that the best advice for anyone with concerns about prostate cancer was to head online and use the 30-second risk checker on the Prostate Cancer UK website.
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