"Farewell 10,000 Men" by Doug Gray... A Dying Man Turns to Art to Express Anger at the Needless Death of 10,000 Men Each Year From Prostate Cancer

DOWNDERRY, England, April 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Doug Gray was diagnosed with incurable prostate cancer in January 2009 at 62. In three months he had three emergency appointments with different GPs about severe lower back and pelvic pain.

Doug says "There is no doubt in my mind that if I had been given the opportunity to have the PSA test aged 55, there was a high probability that my cancer would have been identified early enough to be curable. Fortunately, I told my brothers to get checked and one had an above normal PSA result. Since then he has had 25 cycles of radiotherapy followed by Brachytherapy. Hopefully, his diagnosis happened early enough for his treatment to be curative. "

Doug has leant so much since being told he is terminally ill and has put all his efforts into campaigning and raising awareness. He painted his oil painting to bring attention and help clarify myth vs. fact and invite debate. His 'painting' postcard campaign has been launched online and you can download the image and also email to friends. You simply click on http://www.loveyourprostate.com and open 'farewell 10,000 men postcard'.

The painting shows the Secretary's of State for Health, 1997 - May 2010 under Labour, who were responsible for endorsing the UKNSC decision in 1997 not to screen for prostate cancer (left to right) Alan Milburn, John Reid, Patricia Hewitt, Alan Johnson and Andy Burnam. They are all shown with sloped shoulders as they ignored the opportunity to solve the problem, with their backs on the 10,000 men that die each year.

The silhouetted figure is Andrew Lansley the new coalition Government's Secretary of State for Health. He is shown as a silhouette because he has the power to address the problem. The question is will the painting be updated to show him with his back to the 10,000 men or looking at them recognising the problem and doing something about it?

The men are shown as ghostly figures all looking the same to indicate that as far as the government is concerned they are just numbers in a financial equation; not men who have invested heavily in the state by siring future generations, paying taxes, spending their money and creating wealth for the nation. The flowers "Forget-me-nots" are used as a symbol to remember those men who have died, and will continue to die unnecessarily.

"My message to the Department of Health is to accept that screening will do more good than harm. Farewell 10,000 Men expresses my anger at the needless death of 10,000 men each year from prostate cancer."

http://www.loveyourprostate.com

Note to Editors:

A picture accompanying this release is available through the PA Photowire. It can be downloaded from http://www.pa-mediapoint.press.net or viewed at http://www.mediapoint.press.net or http://www.prnewswire.co.uk.