Barry Hearn has backed a campaign aimed at getting men to check their risk of prostate cancer, with the Matchroom president revealing he has undergone surgery on his prostate
Matchroom president Barry Hearn has revealed he underwent prostate surgery ahead of the World Darts Championship.
Hearn, who was chairman of the PDC for almost 20 years, said he was inspired to get checked thanks to a campaign launched by Prostate Cancer UK and Paddy Power.
The BIGGER 180 campaign is raising funds for Prostate Cancer UK during this year’s tournament, with Paddy Power donating £1000 for every 180 scored at Alexandra Palace. And Hearn says the initiative prompted him to get checked.
“I got myself checked, and two months ago I had a prostate operation, which has been 100% successful,” Hearn revealed. “I’m quite health conscious, but that was a nudge I needed. It was the nudge that all men need.
“What does it cost? It don’t cost anything. Why wouldn’t you? Are you stupid? Do you want to die? It’s stupidity not to do something. Sometimes we’re busy doing other things. But that was a nudge I needed, just to follow up and say, Do you know what? Got a little problem there? Let’s get it sorted.”
Hearn hopes that more men will do the same and he is encouraging them to use Prostate Cancer UK’s easy-to-use risk checker so they know their risk of prostate cancer. “As you can see, I still look wonderful!” he added. “The message is simple – don’t wait, don’t ignore the signs. Get checked, it could save your life.”
Laura Kerby, Chief Executive of Prostate Cancer UK, said: “With almost half a million pounds raised so far and incredible awareness too, we’re thrilled at the success of The BIGGER 180 campaign and are hugely grateful to Paddy Power, the PDC and the players for their brilliant efforts bringing it to life.
“We’re also proud that this life changing campaign has reached the very top of the PDC and thank Barry Hearn for being so open about his health issues, triggered by completing the Prostate Cancer UK online risk checker.
“It’s all about knowing the numbers when playing darts, but not enough people are aware of the harsh statistics about prostate health. 1 in 8 men will be affected by prostate cancer, so it’s vital that every man knows his risk.
“It’s incredible to see more than 85,000 people have now completed our simple online risk checker since the start of this year’s campaign, and more than 75 per cent of those are high risk. So, there’s little doubt that we are making a huge impact via the darts community.”
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