Our awareness campaign with Prostate Cancer UK this week, ahead of Father’s Day, is a cause close to our hearts. Read our story, then have a chat with your dad.
Mike Keeble, dad of HECK’s Andrew Keeble, had a heart attack in his 50s from which he recovered. He sadly then died of prostate cancer, aged 77, after a long battle with the disease. A simple blood test when he was in hospital for his heart attack would have also diagnosed prostate cancer and so his son, Andrew, and grandson Jamie are launching a campaign for Father’s Day, to encourage all children to chat to their dads to raise awareness and also to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK’s research.
“One man dies every 45 minutes from prostate cancer. It kills more people than breast cancer. It’s now the most common cancer in the UK. Despite these shocking facts, Prostate Cancer hasn’t got the attention, research or resources that some other cancers have,” explains Andrew. “And one of the main reasons is that men are too embarrassed to talk about it and are not aware if they are at risk.”
Andrew and Jamie have teamed up with Prostate Cancer UK to raise awareness and funds for research through sales of best-selling line HECK 97% Sausages. HECK! has kicked off the fund with a guaranteed £5,000 and will donate from every pack sold in the week of 13th June.
Jamie says of his reasons for getting behind the campaign, “My grandad died of Prostate Cancer four years ago, so it’s something that’s close to our hearts. I was also diagnosed with testicular cancer 3 years ago, which thankfully was caught early. That’s why me, my brothers, my dad and the chaps we work with, all talk about the risks and encourage anyone to go and get more information if they are concerned. To raise awareness on Father’s Day, we are asking more people to take action, to raise funds for research, to get stuck in and spread the word.”
“So this Father’s Day, do your dad a favour, cook him a lovely breakfast and have a chat – you never know, it could save his life” says Jamie.
You can help us fundraise this week by buying special packs of HECK 97% Father’s Day Sausagess in over 10,000 Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Morrisons, Asda and Tesco stores, or right here online.