‘We’ve lost so many in the black community’

After Errol Campbell’s uncle died of prostate cancer, he knew he wanted to raise awareness of a disease that had touched his life on many occasions, with friends and family receiving devastating diagnoses. He organised a men’s health day in Bath in 2009 with prostate cancer as the focus and also began to set an example to others by having regular tests for the cancer. One in four black men will get prostate cancer – twice the prevalence for white men – and it’s something the Easton resident is determined to address.

“The health of black men has been neglected,” Errol says. “There haven’t been major events to raise awareness of prostate cancer in east Bristol and encourage folks to get tested. These people can be hard to reach: there’s plenty of guys out there who know nothing and they’ve never been for a check.”

Errol himself was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014. “My friend from schooldays, Caswell Thompson, came to see me after my diagnosis. He was dying of prostate cancer. He wasn’t treated properly and they couldn’t do anything for him,” Errol remembers. “He came to see me with a walking stick because the cancer was in his bones by then. He wanted me to do something promptly. I sat around the dining table at home with Caswell and we came up with this mission to encourage black men to get tested, and to keep the message going.”

On August 10 2016, Errol was by his friend’s bedside when he died, and it was less than six months later that Caswell’s brother, Glandel, also died from the disease. It’s the cruelty of the genetic aspect of prostate cancer that it often touches the same family many times. “If prostate cancer is in your family, it is highly lightly itwill come your way,” Errol says.

Errol speaks publicly about Caswell’s story to encourage more men to get tested

Having made the promise to Caswell to do something for other men in their community, Errol sought the blessing of his widow and daughter and set up Friends of Caswell Thompson, a community group working to raise awareness and put on events in Easton.

The group of seven – including Caswell’s brother Errol Thompson – ran their first event in 2017, with the support of Healthwatch Bristol and Prostate Cancer UK. More than 135 people attended the day-long event, which included workshops and personal testimonies. In the following weeks, many attendees visited their doctor to get tested for prostate cancer, which caught cancers early and initiated life-saving treatment.

It’s something the group wish to repeat at this year’s event, taking place on May 26: “The day will be successful if we save one life. We know we did that last year from the feedback,” he says. The event will include a presentation from consultant urological surgeon and prostate cancer specialist Jonathan Aning, as well as informative workshops and chances for open discussion.

“We’re plugging a gap because nobody has been proactive enough to reach the black community in Bristol about prostate cancer,” Errol says. “You’ve got to go through the community. I’m hoping for 200 people to come and if we exceed that next year, I’ll be very happy.

“Prostate cancer is a male preserve and often guys don’t want to speak about it. It impacts on your sex life, and for a lot of men it becomes difficult to cope with that, when you’re going through the treatment and dealing with it.”

The Friends of Caswell Thompson have made it their mission to prevent other untimely deaths from prostate cancer

Running this year’s event is just one of the goals the Friends of Caswell Thompson have: their ultimate aim is to set up a drop-in centre in Bristol that will allow men to get checked at any age, as national screening programme only admits men over the age of 45. “Black men are twice as likely to get prostate cancer at the moment, which means that testing at 45 is too late,” Errol says. “We’ve got to target black men and lower that age to 40. If it isn’t done, many more people will fall through the net. And the earlier you catch this thing, more money will be saved by the NHS. There’s a financial benefit as well as the most important thing, which is saving lives.”

As for what his friend would think of the work he’s doing in his name, Errol is sure he would be pleased and proud to see it. “Caswell didn’t know exactly what I would do when I promised that I would get a message out about prostate cancer, but he would definitely have approved of what we’ve done,” Errol says. “It’s just a pity that it wasn’t done before as it might have saved his life, or his brother’s life. The need is overwhelming. We’ve lost so many in the black community and we’ve got to address that.”

Prostate Cancer Awareness Day for Men and Women takes place at House of Praise, 2 Tudor Road, Easton, BS5 6BW, from 10am on May 26. It is free to attend with lunch provided.