News release – for immediate use FATHER AND SON TO TREK TO EVEREST BASE CAMP FOR UCAN An Aberdeen Dad who is in remission from prostate and kidney cancer is preparing to trek thousands of feet to the Everest Base Camp with his son to raise cash for North-east urological cancer charity, UCAN. Ken McGeechan (71) and his son, Christopher (24), will embark on their challenge of a lifetime on October 26, when the pair meet in Kathmandu to join their trekking party and guide. When Christopher decided he was going to take part in the trek as part of his round the world trip, Ken jokingly said he would join him, then the joke became a reality and the planning began. During the 16-day challenge, Ken and Christopher will be trekking for up to eight hours a day to an eventual height of 5,300m and expect temperatures as low as -20C. The duo will be raising money for UCAN’s latest fundraising campaign to raise £2.5million to buy Scotland’s first Robotic-Assisted Surgical System (RASS) for Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and build two integrated operating theatres to house the equipment. Ken was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2009 and during investigations it was discovered that he also had a type of kidney cancer. He had his left kidney removed and then underwent almost eight weeks of radiotherapy to sort out the prostrate issue, followed by two years of hormone treatment and therapy for affects of the radiation. Ken, who retired earlier this year after a career in the Royal Navy and subsequently as a shopping centre manager and business owner, is now in remission. He has been keeping to a very strict training regime to ensure that he can cope with the demands the fundraising adventure will put on his body. “The whole idea for this trek came from my son who was planning to go it alone until I half-jokingly suggested joining him – I never really expected him to agree to this and then to encourage me to come along,” Ken said. “We have now both been in training since February and this is quite intense, we’re walking between five and ten miles every day and also taking part in interval training and weight training, assisted by weight coach Mike Skene of Kippie Lodge who has been a great support. The work load is quite a commitment but one which we’re both really focused on. “When I was diagnosed with cancer in 2009 at the UCAN Care Centre, this was my first introduction to the charity and throughout the treatment period I received advice and support at the UCAN Centre and fantastic treatment from doctors and nurses at ARI, so I felt this was a perfect opportunity to try to give something back. “Hopefully all will go to plan on our trek and we can raise lots of money for such a worthy charity which is helping those with urological cancers throughout the North-east of Scotland.” Ken and Christopher have set up an online donation page where anyone wishing to sponsor them in their mammoth challenge can do so – ucanfundraise.org.uk/ucan-supporters/your-sponsor-pages/userprofile/KenChris Fiona JD Pearson, UCAN’s Fundraising Manager, added: “Ken is an inspiration to everyone but especially to anyone who has faced or is facing a diagnosis of cancer. We would like to thank him and his son, Chris, for taking up this mammoth challenge and for choosing to support UCAN. ”The money they raise for UCAN will help us with our target of raising £2.5million to purchase this incredible technology for minimally invasive keyhole surgery, which has the potential to benefit everyone in the North-east of Scotland, who requires a specialised operation in the future. The Robotically Assisted Surgical System (RASS) UCAN hopes to purchase utilises powerful and advanced tools, which enables very intricate and precise keyhole surgery to be carried out in patients, and has numerous benefits over traditional ‘open’ surgery, including faster recovery, less pain post operation, less blood loss, shorter hospital stay and speeds up operating times. The RASS mimics a human hand and is controlled remotely by the surgeon, who sits a few feet away and watches greatly magnified 3D high definition video images of the operation on a screen. The RASS will be particularly beneficial for patients with prostate, bowel, rectal and gynaecological cancers and non-malignant conditions who require surgery, but also has the potential to be used in other specialties such as cardiac and paediatric surgery. • For more information on UCAN, visit ucanfundraise.org.uk, call fundraising manager Fiona JD Pearson on 01224 559312 or email [email protected] ENDS Issued on behalf of UCAN by The BIG Partnership. For more information, please contact Rob Smith on 01224 253816 / [email protected] NOTES TO EDITORS UCAN was launched in late 2005 to raise awareness of prostate, testicular, kidney and bladder cancers, reinforce the importance of early diagnosis and self-checking, and support patients and their families. The first of its kind in Scotland, the UCAN Care Centre at Ward 44 at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary is manned by staff who are on hand to give advice to patients on all aspects of dealing with cancer. The facility includes a private clinicians’ room which opens out into an area with comfortable chairs, tea and coffee making facilities, fully equipped computers with internet access, an online forum, literature on urological cancers and the treatment on offer and plasma screens showing informative DVDs.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Jun 2013 08:46:35 +0000
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