Overview
- Clients who are retired doctors urged 67-year-old painter and decorator Jeff Titmarsh to see a GP after they repeatedly observed him leaving scaffolding to use their toilet.
- Initial tests followed the usual NHS pathway of a blood test, MRI and biopsy, with results in August 2024 showing prostate cancer that had spread to bone and was classed as stage four.
- He began chemotherapy and testosterone-suppressing hormone treatment in November 2024 and went into remission by December 2024, but remains on two-monthly blood checks and daily hormone medication.
- Titmarsh has launched a GoFundMe and is training for Sir Chris Hoy's Tour de 4 charity ride to raise money for Prostate Cancer Research while publicly urging men to report increased urination and other symptoms promptly.
- Prostate cancer affects about one in eight men during their lifetime, experts say, and his story highlights how social observation and overcoming stoicism can speed diagnosis and treatment for men who delay seeking care.