Premier League footballer Wes Morgan is supporting an East Midlands campaign to “kick-out prostate cancer” by urging men to get checked for the condition. The Leicester City star has given his support to the #PlayDominoTalkProstate initiative launched by the Leicester-based Centre for BME Health.
Statistics show one in four African Caribbean men will develop prostate cancer at some point in their lives, compared to one in eight men from other backgrounds.
The 35-year-old defender met up with Pamela Campbell-Morris, a Project Assistant and Community Champion at the centre, to show his support for the programme. He said: “We want to kick-out prostate cancer and do whatever we can to raise awareness and let people know they need to get checked. “Hopefully we can then catch it before any disaster strikes. This is all about raising awareness and I’m here to show my support.”
Later this month people from African and African Caribbean communities from Leicester, Oldham and Coventry will compete in a free domino tournament, organised as part of the Health Matters #PlayDominoTalkProstate initiative launched by the Leicester-based Centre for BME Health.
Everyone is invited to attend the free event, which also features adult’s walking football, a children’s football tournament and ‘Chat and Plait’ and ‘Mehndi and Mingle’ sessions. It will take place at the Highfield Sports and Social Club in Gleneagles Avenue, Leicester on Saturday, 28 September, between 1pm and 8pm.
Pamela Campbell-Morris said: “We are delighted that Wes Morgan has highlighted how important it is for men from African and African Caribbean backgrounds to get themselves checked and be aware of the symptoms associated with the disease. “Together with the activity day, we hope Wes’s message and the activities on offer will help to raise more awareness, predominantly amongst those of African and African Caribbean communities, about prostate cancer, obesity and mental health. “Everyone is invited to this free event which will see a number of organisations joining together to offer support in addressing health inequalities through sports and cultural activities.”
The activities and information session is supported by the Leicester-based Centre for Black and Minority Ethnic Health East Midlands, the University of Leicester, Prostaid and Prostate Cancer UK as well as the National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) East Midlands. The Centre for BME Health is working to reduce health inequality in the region by sharing resources and promoting research.
The Centre is funded by the University of Leicester and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) East Midlands. NIHR CLAHRC East Midlands is a partnership of regional health services, universities and industry which turns research into cost-saving and high-quality care through cutting-edge innovation.
Professor Kamlesh Khunti, who is the Director of the NIHR CLAHRC East Midlands and is also Professor of Primary Care Diabetes and Vascular Medicine at the University of Leicester, said: “Latest figures from Prostate Cancer UK revealed it was responsible for 11,819 male deaths in 2015 compared with 11,442 female deaths from breast cancer – the first time it has overtaken breast cancer deaths in women.”