Prostate cancer survivor thanks King for sparking ‘conversation’ on disease

A prostate cancer survivor said the King’s operation has sparked a “conversation” about the disease.

Russell Cager, from Rugby in Warwickshire, is to complete 31 triathlons in 31 days for Prostate Cancer UK and hopes his challenge will encourage men to have regular checks.

The mortgage adviser praised Charles’s bravery for sharing news about his operation for an enlarged prostate.

Mr Cager, 55, told the PA news agency: “People are picking it up on the news and it’s almost becoming a topic of conversation for men of our age.

Russell Cager hopes his triathlon challenge will raise awareness of the risks of prostate cancer and encourage men to get checks (Russell Cager/PA)

“I almost get where (Charles) is coming from. The fact he’s decided to go public and share his story for arguably the same reasons I did, but obviously on a completely different scale.

“It’s good he’s sharing his story because it gives us a little bit of a kick to what we’re doing.”

Throughout January, Mr Cager took on 31 Olympic distance triathlons consisting of a 1.5km swim, a 40km bike ride, and a 10km run, raising more than £7,700 for charity. He will finish the feat on Wednesday.

He described his challenge as “the most important thing I’ve ever done in my life” and noticed his story has given men the confidence to share their prostate cancer journeys.

“We’re getting people coming up to us and talking to us about prostate cancer or their life experiences or their family member who has had it, so it’s really had an impact on a lot of people which has been amazing,” he explained.

“I know people who haven’t got symptoms but are going to go and get tested, which is exactly what we wanted.

“I’m overwhelmed that I’m having this impact on people.”

He said he feels proud to raise money for charity while also spreading his message to encourage men to check their prostate “as a matter of routine”.

“We’ve achieved what we wanted to achieve from a donation point of view.

“But more importantly, that message we wanted was to get people tested and not rely on symptoms.

“The challenge was brilliant… It’s captured people’s emotions and thoughts.”

The mortgage adviser will finish his last triathlon of the month on Wednesday and plans to mark the end of the challenge by celebrating with friends and family.

He said: “We’re doing an after-show party, so on the 31st we’re all getting together for pizza and bubbles.”

He confirmed he will not take on challenges on this scale for a while and said he is looking forward to some planned spa treatments.

Russell Cager has swum 15km, cycled 40km and run 10km every day in January to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK (Russell Cager/PA)

Mr Cager has surpassed his original fundraising target of £5,000 after receiving public donations and contributions from leisure centre chain David Lloyd.

He hopes to raise £10,000 for the charity and continue raising awareness of prostate cancer.

He urged men: “Don’t rely on symptoms any more, go and get yourself tested. Get yourself tested as a matter of routine.”

To check your risk of prostate cancer, you can visit https://prostatecanceruk.org/risk-checker