Skin cancer is an incredibly common form of cancer - 60% of British people either currently suffer from, or will suffer from some form of the skin disease in their lifetime. A Gloucestershire man, Kevin Procter, recently decided he wanted to join the fight against skin cancer after a near miss with the disease, raising almost £1000 for the British Skin Foundation by swimming across the English Channel on the 28th August.
Swimming the English Channel is a feat of endurance not many people have conquered. But Kevin was already a keen open water swimmer, so the entire year of gruelling training necessary for the charity appeal didn't phase him. Over the course of the almost 40-mile swim, Kevin swam 20,000 arm strokes and burned 20,000 calories, more than 10 times the average daily energy allowance for an average man - no mean feat. He and a relay partner battled through fatigue, dangerous jellyfish stings and harsh weather conditions to make it across the channel in 14 hours and 7 minutes, to rapturous applause from French bystanders.
Kevin Procter's swim route
Kevin issued the following statement: "I have chosen this charity to make people aware of skin cancer, moles and other debilitating skin disorders. I myself had a very lucky escape with a dangerous melanoma mole on my shoulder. The nurse from the ward said in 30 years she had not had a success case like mine. Within as little as 6 weeks, it could have gone deep enough into my body to break off, and spread anywhere! I just got away with a small procedure, and a few weeks out the water not swimming!"
Kevin raised almost £1000 with his feat of endurance, preparing for the event with various other swimming races in the months leading up to the Channel swim. The money will go towards The British Skin Foundation, and be used to fund research into all types of skin disease, including the same type of cancer which could have very easily taken Kevin's life. It will go on to impact the lives of millions of people in coming months.
A keen athlete, Kevin is a member of Dursley Running Club and Swindon Triathlon Club and he trains regularly at Lake 32 at Waterland Outdoor Pursuits in the Cotswolds and Cromhall Quarry in Gloucester.
Skin disease can only be combated by a continued commitment to research, development and funding, and the money raised by Kevin will play a vital role in how The British Skin Foundation attempt to tackle skin disease next. For Kevin, he knows he had an incredibly lucky escape, and is just glad to have played his part in the fight against cancer with his impressive feat of endurance, grit and willpower.
