Near Naked Man
joins the Male Cancer Awareness Campaign
and lends his support to Mr Testicles in the fight against
male cancer. His main task is to highlight prostate cancer
and to help reduce the embarrassment which surrounds this
illness. Since embarrassment can prevent men from seeking
help when faced with the symptoms of prostate cancer (an
illness which is killing one man every hour in the UK alone),
Near Naked Man's job is intimately linked with the
charity's main aims.
Near Naked Man is inspired by the naturist Steve
Gough, who was arrested eight times as he walked naked from
Lands End to John O Groates. The realistic effect
of total nudity has had a sensational effect on all those
have met Near Naked Man. However, he cannot be arrested
(at least not on the same grounds as Mr Gough) because he
is actually not naked, unlike his hero!
The Near Naked Man suit, which still is to be decorated
with tattoos and nipples, has been made by the designers
of the Little Brittan costumes.
Near Naked Man was ‘unveiled’ in December 2005
by Patrick Cox, founder of the Campaign, at London’s
busy Waterloo station on a freezing cold fundraising morning.
When asked about his day, Patrick replied: “Yeah.
I got a lot of laughs from people today and that is good.
Our Campaign tackles a deadly serious topic using laughter.
Laughter triggers memory in a way that will help people
remember us and our aims. Laughter is also an incredibly
positive action that makes everyone feel better. So if us
getting naked can get you to remember what we stand for,
and encourage you to check out the Male Cancer Awareness
Campaign website, we have achieved the aim of raising everyone’s
awareness."
Patrick says: “I started fundraising early. I
was there at 7am wearing the suit in freezing cold conditions,
complete with a ‘stop’ sign placed strategically
for decency. Believe it or not, I am shy, but after
a while I forgot that I was ‘near naked’ despite
having to cope with the fact that the suit is incredibly
tight, which forced me to suck in my gut all day. By 10.15
am I was freezing and nearly turning blue, so I had to buy
a scarf, a hat and some gloves. I caught one very pretty
young woman looking at my ‘stop’ sign, ‘Caught
you looking’, I said. She looked up blushing with
embarrassment! There were comments from passers by like
‘About time’, ‘There’s just not
enough being done’, ‘Aren’t you embarrassed?’
I told them ‘That’s what it’s all about
– not being embarrassed!"
"Public support has been huge today", he continues.
"I have met some great people and everyone has given
generously. I have also spoken with many sufferers, widows
too who have lost their husbands to male cancer. All of
them have supported us fully and are glad to see that we
are doing something about the dire effects of male cancer."
Using a cheeky “in your face” approach,
The Male Cancer Awareness Campaign raises awareness for
prostate, bowel and testicular cancer and aims to reduce
the embarrassment men feel from the effects of
these types of cancer. "Our charity is different because
we want to stand out from the crowd and to be noticed",
says Patrick. "We want to get our aims and beliefs
across to everyone, nationwide. Near Naked Man is a great
vehicle for this. He represents a charity which is committed,
hardworking, inventive and hard hitting. The team wants
to ensure that every man and his partner in the UK know
how to self-examine for testicular cancer, and recognise
all the early warning signs for testicular, bowel and prostate
cancer."
"We strongly believe in live awareness-raising",
says Patrick. "Leaflets are not enough, although they
can help. Someone showing you what to look out for
is much more effective. Because we also believe
that awareness should be nationwide, we travel the length
and breadth of the UK, to England Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland, including all the islands, to ensure that our awareness-raising
campaign reaches all areas. We will do what it takes, every
day, all year round, and will continue doing so all the
time men are waking up bewildered, frightened and confused,
with their lives turned upside down because they have not
been educated about male cancer. Many of these men have
to face the hard, brutal fact that they have cancer, because
they did not recognise the symptoms. Cancer can be beaten!
Detecting it early is important. Every hour men are dying
when early diagnosis could have saved their lives. This
is why we work hard: to raise awareness so that families
will not lose their husbands, partners, fathers, uncles
or neighbours. Science and medicine are improving each year
and we keep up with the latest information. We are here
for you."
Regular monthly donations can be given to the Campaign
by standing order. By paying £7 a month you can become
a supporter. The charity values their supporters highly
and works hard to make them proud. If you would
like to become a supporter and help the Campaign
to promote its aims and beliefs and to educate men, contact
us today!
Raising awareness for male cancer is what we do.
We want you to remember the Male Cancer Awareness Campaign.”
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