Man sold car to fund support groups for people affected by prostate cancer 

A man sold his car to fund his own support group to help people affected by prostate cancer. 

Jeff Thompson, 60, from West Croydon, runs monthly support groups for people affected by prostate cancer in an effort to raise awareness around the illness and men’s mental health.

Mr Thompson was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018.

He said: “I bumped into a friend of mine who I noticed was walking weirdly, I asked him what was wrong and he told me he had prostate cancer.

“The next day I went to the doctor and asked for a blood test. They also performed an examination, and found a lump. 

“A biopsy was organised and then I was told I had prostate cancer.”

Mr Thompson said his initial response was to deny his diagnosis.

He said: “It was a shock, I thought I was too healthy then I thought, hold on, I’ve got cancer, I’m going to die.

“I didn’t think there was a cure. Automatically, I was thinking about things I hadn’t done in my life, It really rocked me mentally.”

The same year Mr Thompson was diagnosed, he had a surgery that successfully removed the cancer and has now been clear for five years.

However, he said the months that followed the surgery were the darkest he had ever faced.

He said: “I was scared. I was in a lot of pain and no one explained why or even seemed to understand how much pain I was in. 

“I had to wear absorbent pads, which felt demeaning, and I was afraid to leave the house thinking people would notice or that I would have an accident. I felt lost.”

After two attempts to take his own life, Mr Thompson decided to reach out and got back in touch with a friend who had suffered from the same cancer.

He said: “I realised there wasn’t much help out there for men suffering with the disease. 

“Not only that, most men don’t that their prostate needs to be checked on a regular basis after a certain age.”

One in four black men, one in eight white men and one in 13 South Asian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.

Determined to raise awareness, Mr Thompson decided to sell his car in 2019 to help fund a community interest group called Cancer Don’t Let It Win C.I.C.

The group’s popularity grew through word of mouth and has since reached around 1,700 people.

Groups run across Lewisham, Vauxhall and Croydon and Mr Thompson plans to expand further out into Birmingham and Brighton in the near future.

He said: “Men who come to these support groups have said to me that hearing what I went through has helped them to speak out.

“As men we tend to shy away and put ourselves in corners because of fear and embarrassment.

“When they come they shed tears, not of embarrassment but of relief because they can express themselves.

“Prostate cancer has a huge mental impact, I always say the body can heal but the mind takes longer.”

On June 1, Cancer Don’t Let it Win C. I. C will host a comedy night at the Front Room in St Georges Walk, Croydon to fundraise for prostate cancer awareness. 

For more information visit: https://www.instagram.com/cancer_dont_let_it_win/

Pictured top: Jeff Thompson before he was diagnosed with cancer (Picture: Jeff Thompson)