SKY-DIVING cancer patient Andy Fox is living proof that Scan For Life will make a difference...
The 39-year-old, from Cantley, recently took a 15,000ft leap of faith in support of our appeal to buy Doncaster Royal Infirmary a new super scanner - after the hospital's existing equipment effectively saved his life.
Businessman Andy was diagnose
d with testicular cancer two years ago.
He was originally told by doctors he had pulled a muscle in his back - only for a scan to then find a tumour had spread to his kidneys.
After completing a course of chemotherapy in Sheffield, however, the married father-of-three is now looking forward to a brighter future.
He said: "I'm one of the lucky ones - although I'm not out of the woods quite yet. And it's thanks to a scanner up at Doncaster Royal Infirmary which actually spotted the tumour.
"If it hadn't been for the scanner the doctors wouldn't have picked up on it - and obviously a better scanner will pick up on things a lot sooner.
"Catching it earlier gives you a much better chance of recovering from it.
"When I saw the Scan For Life appeal I thought I'd like to do something," he added.
"I did a sky dive years and years ago and this seemed like the easy option! It was an absolutely brilliant day."
Andy, who is married to Zaria and has three sons, Luke, 17, Nathan, 11, and Liam, nine, now returns to DRI for a precautionary CT scan every six months.
His sky-dive over Scunthorpe raised more than £1,000 for Scan For Life - an appeal the Free Press launched in July to raise £600,000 for a new state-of-the-art scanner for DRI.
l Priory Place Methodist Church has donated £1,000 of it funds to the Scan For Life appeal.
Volunteers who completed our magnificent Midnight Walk last month can claim their prize at a special medal ceremony tomorrow. Walkers are invited to St John's Information and Support Centre at Tickhill Road Hospital - the ceremony starts at 7pm.
n Anyone organising a Scan For Life fund-raising event should contact campaign reporter Paul Goodwin for publicity on (01302) 347260.
Donations to the appeal can be made by visiting the trust at 4 East Laith Gate in Doncaster town centre, with cheques made payable to 'Doncaster Cancer Detection Trust'.
Funds may also be paid directly into the campaign account: Co-operative Bank, account number 50326679.
