PRESTWICK, July 3 — A group of work colleagues are cycling from Land’s End to Sumburgh Airport in the Shetland Isles, a 1000-mile journey, to honor a Prestwick man who died of prostate cancer in November at age 38. Rob Thick, from Prestwick, and Hadley Gibson, from Carlisle, began the 10-day challenge on July 1 and are due to finish July 10. They are raising money and awareness in memory of their late colleague and close friend, Kieran Clark, who worked as an air traffic control engineer for NATS.
According to a spokesperson for the group, before Kieran passed away, his male colleagues from the NATS Outstations team had PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) tests to check for prostate cancer. Another teammate, Paul Graham, from Paisley, came back positive having had no symptoms at all.
As a result, Paul has had surgery to remove his prostate and is waiting to find out if he needs radiotherapy. Paul feels that Kieran was able to save his life through his death, the spokesperson said. The cyclists were due to pass through their home regions between July 5 and July 7.
They hope to raise £20,000. As of Friday, July 3, they had raised more than £7,700.
On their fundraising page the group said: “The ride is being organised in memory of our good friend and colleague Kieran Clark, who we sadly lost in November to prostate cancer at the young age of 38.” “Kieran was someone many of us worked alongside, shared good times with and his loss has been deeply felt by a huge number of people.” The page added: “As a tribute to Kieran, and his many years working as an air traffic control engineer for NATS, we are cycling from his most southerly site Land’s End.” Consult your doctor for medical advice.
