Ahead of the visit of Coventry City last weekend, former player and chairman of the Sunderland Former Players Association, Maurice Hepworth, presented Prostate Cancer UK’s Football Project Manager Jake Martens with a cheque for over £12,000 after hosting an extremely successful event in late 2018.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, and affects one in eight men in the UK in their lifetime – including the former Black Cat.
Maurice, who made his Sunderland debut in 1971, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in November 2017 following life-saving advice from a friend who was also faced with the disease.
“I was getting up to go to the toilet in the middle of the night a lot, so I went to my GP for a PSA (prostate specific antigen) test, and the results weren’t great,” said the 65-year-old.
“Within three weeks, I was told by my consultant that I had prostate cancer. Hearing my diagnosis made me realise what’s important in my life. Without the support of my wife, I would have really struggled.”
The former full-back, who was a member of Sunderland’s FA Cup-winning squad of 1973, has since made a full recovery, and has dedicated his time to raising awareness of a disease killing one man every 45 minutes in the UK.
He hosted a successful dinner at the Stadium of Light in December 2018, raising over £12,000 for Prostate Cancer UK, and regularly wears the charity’s Man of Men pin badge.
He said: “The Sunderland Former Players Association committee were wonderful in allowing all proceeds of the dinner to go to Prostate Cancer UK. I’d also like to thank my good friend, Peter Stronach, who helped organise it, and Martin Lovell – my cancer buddy. He has also been through prostate cancer and gave me real moral support when I needed it.
“Prostate Cancer UK is a fantastic charity, so I wanted to give something back and make the people of Sunderland aware of this disease.”
Find out more about Prostate Cancer UK’s work in football by visiting their website: https://www.prostatecanceruk.org/football