Ben Ely

Why am I doing this

Firstly, to raise money in support of men dealing with prostate cancer.

My dad had prostate cancer. Following a visit to see his GP after suffering with pain in his groin, he asked his GP weather he should be checked for prostate cancer. The Doctor asked him he had any symptoms, to which he didn’t. However, as he was in his mid-50’s and had recently seen an advert with a motorcycle magazine around men his aged getting checked. The doctor scheduled a blood test to check his PSA levels. He was then called in for a more test following the results of this blood test that confirmed that he did have prostate cancer; it wasn't aggressive and only needed monitoring as it was at an early stage. He still had no symptoms and only needed to have regular month blood test to monitor his PSA levels. However, in late 2019 and became obvious through his regular check-ups and test, that the cancer was becoming more aggressive and by mid-January 2020, the risk of it spreading in his body was becoming much, much higher. He was given options to either have chemotherapy or have his prostate removed. Given that the chemotherapy has no guarantee of success, but will still make you feel awful, my dad made the decision to have the operation. My dad operation was scheduled for the 3rd of March 2020. This was around the time that Covid was becoming a big issue elsewhere in the world. Thankfully, the operation was completed successfully and only a few weeks before the Covid lockdown started. I am convinced that if my dad hadn't of had that check-up when he did, he wouldn't be here today. All because of a small advert in a magazine that made him think about being checked. Even to the day of his operation, he had no noticeable symptoms of this illness.

I know of other people who haven’t been as lucky and have lost their lives to this illness, some that never even knew they had it until it was too late. Hopefully by taking part in events like this, we can help raise awareness and help beat this awful disease.  

Secondly, mens mental health doesn't get spoken about enough. I have personally suffered with my own mental health. I have been in a room full of family and friends and yet felt lonely. I have felt like no matter what I do, I cannot get it right. I got help towards the end of last year through campaigns backed by Movember, and I see this as an opportunity to give something back to those who helped me. I know of others around me, both professionally and personally that have suffered. This needs to be tackled in any way we can.

Thirdly, motorbikes. I have ridden bikes for years. But I have never took part in an event like this one. I am looking forward to joining up with everyone else on the day and making memories, whilst raising money and awareness. Perhaps this will encourage me to more events or challenges in the future.

I'm Riding for Men's Health in The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride