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A Timaru man is doing his part to tackle prostate cancer — one kilometre at a time.
To fundraise for Blue September, monumental mason Les Jones will be cycling 739km this month — the number of men on average that die of prostate cancer in New Zealand each year.
Blue September encourages men to set themselves a fundraising challenge over the course of the month, whether that be cycling or push-ups, to support research and raise awareness for the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Kiwi men.
Mr Jones said he was aiming to cycle 25km a day to reach his target, with the total distance being the equivalent of cycling from Timaru to Invercargill and back.
“It’s been quite a challenge so far. You can break it down anyway you want to but because I work I’ve got to try and fit it in after work before it gets dark.
“It’s pretty relentless. It’s one of those challenges that isn’t easy but it’s doable.
“I’ve done the charity bike ride for the past few years, so this is a good challenge for me.”
He said it was important to raise awareness for prostate cancer.
“With my business I do a lot of headstones, so I prefer to do headstones for the 90-year-old that’s died old age rather than the 60-year-old that’s died of prostate cancer. So it’s important to support these things.
“I get a test every year because of a previous heart attack that I had but part of that is you get your prostate tested. It’s a wonderful thing to get that test done every year and know that it’s stable.
“If it starts to elevate, then I can get something done about it before it becomes an issue. So I think that raising awareness of getting that testing done and being proactive instead of reactive is a good thing.”
Mr Jones said he had raised more than $1600 so far.
“On the website I’m fifth in the New Zealand at the moment [for amount raised]. So I want to stay in that top five.
“The way the [Blue September] website is set up is really good: people can just hop on and donate and I can log my activities so people can see how I’m progressing.
“It’s very motivating for me to see the support coming in.
“Especially when I’m having a bad day on the bike, it’s nice to know people are supporting me, and that keeps me going.”
Mr Jones’ efforts are also being supported by Multicultural Aoraki, which is holding a men’s breakfast on September 25, with the proceeds going towards his fundraiser.
Multicultural Aoraki health navigator Viki McKenzie said the breakfast would be a $20 koha to attend and would begin at 7.30am.
“We have previously done the Pink Ribbon Women’s Breakfast and we got some funding to cover off doing a men’s event.
“It’s going to be a full cooked breakfast. We can probably seat about 55 people and anyone in the community is very welcome to attend.
“It’s a great way, and particularly with our multicultural community, to raise awareness around these tests and the importance of testing.”
The breakfast will be held in the Isobel Mayman Room at the Multicultural Aoraki Office on Butler St.
• Men’s breakfast: RSVP by September 21 on 027 327 2699 or email viki@multiculturalaoraki.co.nz
• Mr Jones can be supported through his individual fundraising page on the Blue September website