People & Lifestyle story, July 2005
| BUSINESS MAN
SEEKS CREW OF SURVIVORS
Cotswold sailor is seeking prostate cancer survivors to join him on a transatlantic crossing. No previous sailing experience necessary. As appeared in the Cotswold Courier |
Cotswold businessman Jonathan Shingleton, 58, is looking for a crew of five with unusual qualifications to join him on a transatlantic crossing in his 47 ft yacht Kindness next November. He’s hoping to recruit five men who, like himself, have all survived prostate cancer, even if not all of them have previous sailing experience. The idea of the trip is to raise money for research into the fatal disease, which kills 10,000 men in Britain every year.
Father-of-four Mr. Shingleton, who lives with his wife Phillipa and two youngest sons, Charles, 11 and Rupert, seven, in north Gloucestershire explains, his own diagnosis was a matter of pure luck. "My company’s private medical insurance insist on their members having medicals," he explains. "I was sent to see a doctor aptly named Dr. Hugh Kindness. He gave me a thorough examination and then suggested that as I was already in his surgery, he ought to examine my prostate. He found a lump, told me I needed an immediate referral and two days later I found myself facing an eminent prostate cancer Consultant in London."
Mr. Shingleton saw Professor Roger Kirby, a leading Consultant on the disease. "He arranged for me to have a biopsy. Four days later, I went back to see him and he told me I had a malignant tumour," he says. Professor Kirby decided that Mr. Shingleton would benefit most from a four week long course of medication followed by radiotherapy. "It was quite an aggressive tumour. I was advised to cut down on my heavy workload but when you are diagnosed with something like that, you begin to focus on the things you most want to do. I set myself an objective to sail the Atlantic. I bought a boat which I named Kindness after the man whose vigilant examination almost certainly saved my life.
"I chose to join the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers and sail across the Atlantic from Portsmouth to the Canaries and then on to Antigua because it’s a lot warmer than New York in November. By going on a yachting rally, I will have all the social fun of parties before we leave and lots of parties en route. The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers offers me the opportunity to sail a long distances in reasonable company. The journey will take a couple of months but my wife is very supportive. She realises it’s something I really want to do. And as a reward, I’ve promised to put her up in a very expensive hotel in Antigua over Christmas."
Mr Shingleton says that at least two or three members of his new crew must have some previous sailing experience. It is essential, though, that all have survived prostate cancer. "I am hoping to find a crew who can get sponsorship to raise money for Prostate Research Campaign UK," he explains. "The charity is currently funding a number of research programmes into prostate disease. They also offer advice in the form of leaflets and a video to all prostate sufferers, including explanations of the treatments available. I hope the trip will raise several thousand pounds."
For further information about the work of Prostate Research Campaign UK or for information about prostate disease, please review this website or contact us at the address below.