IT Systems Administrator Chris Wilde has praised JCB's proatcive approach to employee health after being successfully treated for prostate cancer after it was detected by a company screening programme.
Chris went along for workplace health screening offered by JCB in the summer of 2011 after his father died of prostate cancer aged 69. That family link to the condition meant Chris, then 56, was keen to check if he was at any increased risk of suffering the same fate.
When his test results came back with a “borderline” reading for the prostate specific antigen (PSA) that tells health experts there may be a problem, Chris had a series of follow-up tests which eventually confirmed the worst – he did have prostate cancer. Chris, now 58, who is based at JCB's World HQ at Rocester, and has worked for JCB for 36 years, subsequently underwent surgery to remove his prostate gland and is now back at work, fully fit.
Chris, of Uttoxeter, said: “Prostate cancer is one of the biggest killers of men in this country and there is very little in the way of changes to your lifestyle that you can adopt to prevent it happening. The important thing is to get an early diagnosis – which is why the testing scheme being offered by JCB is so valuable. North Staffordshire is one of the worst areas in the UK for late diagnosis of prostate cancer because people don’t get themselves tested early enough.
“If you catch it early then there are various treatment options which offer good outcomes. If you leave it too late then the treatment options are much more limited and the cancer can spread to other parts of the body. At that point it is more a matter of managing the condition than treating it.”
All male JCB employees aged 50 and over are eligible for the free PSA screening being offered by the company during November.
He added: “As far as anyone can tell I am sorted. My PSA levels are beyond the ability of the testing equipment to measure and I feel fine. If I hadn’t decided to get tested when the company offered screening two years ago the situation could have been very different.”
JCB's Doctor Paul Williams said: "We take the health of our employees very seriously and regular health screening programmes have been undertaken for many years. I'm delighted that Chris has returned to full health after taking part in one of our recent programmes."
Anyone diagnosed with prostate cancer can get extra help and advice from the North Staffordshire Prostate Cancer Support Group. Information about the group is available at www.nsprostatecancer.org.uk