A man, who discovered he had prostate cancer through a routine blood test, is urging others to get checked.
Kevin Chard (pictured above) was one of around 150 men who attended a screening event organised by Somerset Freemasonry – and it probably saved his life.
The testing discovered a number of “red” and “amber” warnings and Kevin, a member of the Freemasons, was among the “red” warnings.
His blood test and further scans revealed he did have prostate cancer, but it was caught early and has since had an operation.
Kevin said: “Like a lot of men I don’t like going to see a doctor, so when I heard about the tests being offered by the Freemasons I decided to go along
“My PSA blood test came back 48 hours later and showed that my PSA level was three times higher than normal.
“Various scans and biopsies later showed that that cancer was present but thankfully it has been caught early and the prognosis is that I should make a full recovery.”
Kevin is now urging other men to get tested.
The Somerset Freemasons are offering two new screening days, which are available to the general public.
They are being organised in conjunction with the Graham Fulford Charitable Trust, which organises private screening tests for prostate cancer – in the absence of a national testing programme on the NHS.
Freemason Adrian Robson, who is organising the Somerset screening days, said: “Last year we potentially saved at least one life, possibly more – so we just had to do it again this year.
“Prostate cancer is the biggest killer of men. More than 13,000 men die from it each year in the UK but if it is caught early it is very treatable. That is why screening like this is so important.”
The cost for the test is £26 and people have to register in advance through this website: https://www.somersetfreemasons.org/2025/04/03/somerset-freemasonry-psa-screening-2025/
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