A STAINCROSS man who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer is set to embark on a 24-hour fundraiser alongside members of a community gym to raise funds for two charities close to his heart.
John Firth, 57, has been attending The Box - a gym on Carlton Industrial Estate - for the last 16 months and he says it’s the best decision he’s ever made.
He describes the members as a second family, with himself and his wife Debbie their parents.
Heartbreakingly, John was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer just over a month ago - something he admits was a complete shock.
“I was diagnosed about six weeks ago,” he said.
“I had no symptoms of the cancer at all and I’m still showing absolutely no signs of it.
“Without the wonderful people at the hospital checking up I wouldn’t have even known.
“Fingers crossed I’ve been able to catch it early enough.”
Due to the symptomless diagnosis, John is urging everyone to get tested whenever they can.
A PSA test is a blood test that measures the level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in your blood.
PSA is a protein produced by the prostate gland, and a high PSA level can be a sign of prostate cancer or other prostate problems, according to the NHS.
John added: “I’m now asking everyone I know to get a PSA test.
“It’s really important.
“I had no symptoms so I had no warnings.
“The hospital staff, consultants, absolutely everyone have been amazing with me.
“They’ve helped put my mind at ease.
“I can’t thank them enough.”
And members at The Box have been just as supportive - and a week today they’re set to embark on a 24-hour gym session in a bid to raise as much money as possible for Barnsley Hospital and Cancer Research UK.
John added: “People at the gym are being really supportive but they’re not saying sorry all the time - I don’t want that.
“They’re just saying that I’m going to crack on and beat it.
“We’re all like a big family and my wife and I are the oldest so I guess we’re like the parents of the group.
“Everyone is just so welcoming - it’s a great place to be.”
A 24-hour fundraiser is no easy task, but John is relishing the challenge.
“It’s going to be hard but I know we’re all going to be having as much fund as possible while we do it,” he added.
“We’re raising money for Barnsley Hospital which is the club’s charity and also Cancer Research UK.
“We want to raise as much money as possible.
“I’m hoping that it’ll take off.”
Rob Cartwright, one of the main organisers of the fundraiser, added: “The sense of community at The Box is very special.
“We wanted to do something really challenging to raise funds for both the Barnsley Hospital Charity, who do incredible work for our town, and Cancer Research UK, whose research impacts so many lives.
“The response from our members has been fantastic, and we're all ready to push ourselves through these 24 workouts, one every hour, for a full night and day."
Matt Holland, 32, from Royston, is also set to take part in the fundraiser.
Everyone is welcome at the event, which takes place from around 6pm next Friday - and you don’t need to be a member.
He told the Chronicle: “There’s seven of us that are going to do the whole 24 hours at the minute.
“Other people are going to be coming and going throughout the event.
“We’ll be doing one work out every hour at the start of the hour.
“We wanted to do something to support John - everyone at the gym is just such a close-knit family.
“Anyone is welcome, the more the merrier.”
