Charlton Athletic’s Tracey Leaburn has been scaling new heights in her quest to fight prostate cancer ahead of the club’s Men’s Health Awareness Day against Oxford United.
According to Prostate Cancer UK, more than 47,500 men are diagnosed with the disease every year with the club offering fans the chance to have a PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) test ahead of Saturday’s League One clash at The Valley.
This quick blood test can be used to detect high levels of PSA which can be an indicator of the early stages of prostate cancer with any early diagnosis potentially saving lives.
Helping to raise money for the Barry Kilby Foundation, this is the third time in which PSA testing has happened at The Valley, with Oxford fans also invited to get tested as well.
On the importance of the initiative, Head of First Team Player Care Tracey Leaburn told London Football Scene: “Having lost both my father and grandfather to prostate cancer, I’ve been passionate about fighting the disease and have been involved in fundraising efforts for a while.
“I first started raising money for prostate cancer a few years ago with my sister, then I had the idea of conducting PSA tests on matchdays at The Valley”
“For just a £10 donation, you can get tested at The Valley – a significant saving on the standard £25 cost.”
“The testing has saved lives, with around 30 fans being notified about high PSA levels.”
In order to raise funds for the event, manager Johnnie Jackson and first-team players joined Tracey in climbing the O2 Arena.
“That was quite a challenge as I was afraid of heights – which wasn’t helped by one of the players jumping up and down when we got to the top either!,” Tracey said.
“The players and manager also donated to the cause, with £3,700 being raised already with the aim to raise £2,300 more through our PSA testing to hit our target donation of £6,000.
“The money is being raised for the Barry Kilby Prostate Cancer Appeal, and it’s the first time money has been raised by the club for this particular charity.”
Although the PSA testing at The Valley is now fully-booked, you can still donate to the cause by visiting the fundraising page HERE.
Image provided courtesy of Dan Hambury.