On Friday 26th April, Scarborough College invited Steffan Douch, a member of the OddBalls Foundation, to speak to all the Year 12 students on the interesting and thought provoking subject of testicular cancer.
On average, four men every day are diagnosed with testicular cancer. If caught in time, this type of cancer may not have fatal repercussions on the patient’s health. However, as our guest speaker explained, to catch this disease in time it is crucial to raise awareness about this topic and break down the social barriers that exist around talking about men’s physical and mental health.
The OddBalls Foundation was founded in 2015 to raise awareness of testicular cancer through their ambassador programme. Alongside many other companies in the UK, they also fundraise money through their products and events, money which will later on be donated to hospitals all over the UK.
Our guest shared his experience with a testicular cancer scare, creating an open and safe environment for everyone in the room. He spoke in depth about not only the charity and the cancer, but also the importance of spotting the signs – encouraging us to ‘be proactive’ through his own personal experience.
We were kindly given OddBalls awareness posters on the importance of regular checks for testicular cancer which we have since put up around the school. The Charity Committee now looks forward to fundraising and raising awareness of the charity during men’s health awareness month (November) in the next academic year, drawing inspiration from the talk we were given.
Alessandra Amatucci & India Heron, Y12 – Heads of the Charity Committee
