This is Kurt Jewson, a 44-year-old business owner, husband, and father-of-two from Helston, England.
In the summer of 2014, Jewson went to the doctor for a checkup after he discovered blood in his urine. The doctor recommended more tests, but Jewson didn't follow through. A year later, he found out that blood was an early symptom of cancer.
On Jan. 28, Jewson shared this photo to show his surgical scars and colostomy bag that are a result of his prostate cancer treatment.
He posted this message along with the photo:
Ok, have been thinking about this for a while. Here I am in all my tubby, pale & middle aged (I'm 44) glory.
I've got a catheter, stoma ( colostomy bag ), scars where you can see them, scars where you can't, and hormone implants below my skin.
I have another operation to come, and then radio and/or chemo therapy.
Why am I posting this?
Well, in the summer of 2014 I had blood in my urine. Went to the GP and he said that it was probably just an infection and would clear up. It did.
However, it wasn't an infection. It was a symptom of Prostate Cancer.
If my GP had simply taken some blood, and sent it off for a PSA test ( the test for prostate cancer...it's NOT a finger up the ass... That comes later! ) Then we would have caught this at an early, and much more manageable stage.
There are many symptoms. I urge all the men to spend five minutes here
http://prostatecanceruk.org/
It could save your life. Prostate cancer is becoming more prevalent in "younger" men. Men our age. If you have blood in your urine, or any other symptom listed on Prostate Cancer UK's website, then get a blood PSA test.
Insist upon it.
If I had known earlier, then my treatment and prognosis would have been so different.
As it was, my cancer was free to grow and grow for another 12 months without anyone knowing.
So, there you go.
Sorry to be so serious, but 1 in 8 of you (for that's how many men will get prostate cancer) will bloody thank me one day!
Cheers
Kurt
PS
Feel free to share, if you want. It's too important for me to be vain about.
The post has since gone viral, garnering more than 214,000 shares and many positive comments of support from all over the world.
Jewson told ITV News that his goal of sharing the picture was to call attention to the disease: "If I share this picture with my friends, at least if I put the picture up, it will get their attention."
A spokesperson for the Prostate Cancer Foundation told BuzzFeed that 10% of all new cases occur in men under the age of 54 and emphasized the importance of early detection.
"Catching lethal prostate cancer early gives patients the highest chance of cure. The 5-year survival rate of prostate cancer in the United States is 99% or higher. The 5-year survival rate in the U.K. is 84.8%.
This is why early detection is so critical in appropriate patients. What is most important is the message surrounding Kurt's photo: It is important to get checked early because his prognosis could have been different.
When detected in its earliest stages through routine yearly screenings, prostate cancer is 100% treatable. It is important for all men to talk to their doctor about if and when prostate cancer screenings is right for them."
"Maybe they'll see me and say, 'I don't want to go through that,'" Jewson said about posting the photo.
Watch the full interview with ITV News here:
View this video on YouTube
BuzzFeed has reached out to Jewson for comment.