A PONTELAND man is using pedal power to raise money for prostate cancer research after early diagnosis and pioneering surgery put him back on the road to recovery.
Solicitor Andy Morgan will ride hundreds of miles with wife Claire from John O’Groats in the far north east of Scotland to his home later this summer.
The money they raise will go to a special fund.
Last September, a routine check-up revealed the cancer and surgeons at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital successfully treated Mr Morgan using the latest robotic techniques.
The recently-installed Da Vinci Robot holds instruments to allow operations to be carried out using 3-D imagery in a small space within the body.
The 54-year-old said: “It was a huge shock to get the diagnosis and it is certainly a wake-up call for other men to go and get a check-up now and make it top priority.
“I was lucky that it was spotted early and I was able to get the very best treatment. Up to 10,000 men every year in the UK are not as fortunate, as it kills one man every hour. It is the most common cancer in men.”
“Me and Claire took up cycling a few years ago as a way of trying to keep fit.
“We can probably best be described as keen, if not a little slow, so we thought what better way to raise money for such a worthwhile cause than to get out on the road for a real test.”
The ride starts on September 3 and the route goes south to Inverness and St Andrews, crossing the Forth Road Bridge to Edinburgh and along the east coast to arrive back at the Diamond Inn, Ponteland, on September 19.
Funds will go to the Urology and Oncology Fund, administered by Newcastle Hospital Trusts.
To make a donation, visit www.justgiving.com/ pedallingforprostate