Check your Meat and Veg – Check Testicular Cancer Campaign

Check Testicular Cancer Campaign – As a woman I think we get great support and coverage for female cancers such as breast cancer and cervical cancer, but there is still a long way to go where all cancers are concerned.

Men (most men) are ridiculous when it comes to going to the doctor when it comes to genuine medical concerns. They’re all ready to claim near death when it comes to a bout of man flu, but in general they tend to bury their heads in the sand when it comes to genuine concerns.

We’ve all heard of Movember where men grow all kinds of mustaches in support of Prostate Cancer, Testicular Cancer and Mental Health in men.

The Check Testicular Cancer Campaign

Heck Sausages have changed their name to Check for the duration of November to support men who are affected with Testicular Cancer encouraging them to Check for lumps in their testicles, and for women to Check their partners too.

The Heck family have a personal story for their support and want to break the silence of the men of this earth.

Jamie Keeble says, “I found a small lump, immediately went to my GP, and received my diagnosis. Even though a lot of stigma surrounds going to the doctor for such an intimate area, it is key to be proactive if you find a lump.

“Our research shows that too many men would ignore it if they found something and that many are unsure how to correctly check themselves.”

“Too many men are dying young from ignorance and lack of quick action. This disease needs to be openly discussed so that more guys will check themselves and feel they can talk to someone if something doesn’t feel right.

“60% don’t even know what a cancerous lump would feel like. In this day and age, this has to stop! People need to be educated so that we can start making a difference.”

Check Sausages are available to buy in ASDA, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose at £2.99 for a pack of six.

The Facts

• Did you know more than three-quarters (76%) of women admitted they wouldn’t know what a cancerous lump would feel like on their partner’s testicles. Whereas almost half of men (46.6%) said they would know what a lump on their partner’s breast would feel like!
• Heck’s research revealed 82% of blokes are unwilling to talk to their doctor about any issues with their genitals. It seems that our men are too embarrassed to discuss their testicles with their GP, alarming new research has revealed.
• A survey of 2,000 people has discovered the true extent of the taboo subject, with 82% of blokes unwilling to talk to their doctor about any issues with their genitals. The worrying results were commissioned by HECK – a Yorkshire-based sausage brand that is working alongside the world-leading men’s health charity The Movember Foundation.

Commenting on the poll findings, a spokesperson for The Movember Foundation said:

“Unfortunately this latest polling from HECK is accurate.
Too many men are not checking themselves, not knowing what to look for, and being too embarrassed to discuss the subject.
Tackling these taboos head-on, getting more men educated on the health risks they face, taking action when needed, and talking when things get tough, is exactly why The Movember Foundation exists.”

The survey also showed that almost one in 10 (9.8%) of men between the ages of 18 and 24 would do nothing if they felt a lump on their testicles.

Testicular cancer is often described as a small pea-like lump on one testicle, but many men are unaware of this. Two-thirds of men had no idea this was a sign of deadly cancer.
One in five blokes (18.4%) of men incorrectly assumed that a cancerous lump feels ‘like a flat coin’.

The research also found that three-quarters of women (76%) would have no idea what a cancerous lump would feel like on their partner’s testicles.
In contrast, slightly less than half of the men (46.6%) said they’d know when to be concerned about a lump on their partner’s breast.

The research was carried out by the brand’s founder, Jamie Keeble, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer two years ago. He said, “If men don’t know what testicular cancer might feel like, how can they possibly check themselves? Testicular cancer is on the rise and men can reduce their chances of dying simply by knowing what to feel for.”

Other results from the research include:

• The three UK cities where men are most likely to know what a cancerous lump feels like are: Warrington at 71%, Portsmouth at 61%, and Sunderland at 57%

• More than one-quarter of men (26.7%) in Scotland say they’d wait a few days before doing anything if they discovered a lump on their testicle, compared to just 12% of men in the South-West

• Almost one in 10 (9.8%) of 18-24-year-old men say they’d do nothing if they felt a lump on a testicle; by contrast, just 3% of women would do nothing if they felt a lump on a breast.

The facts speak for themselves really.

Come on Fella’s GET CHECKED! Better safe than sorry.

About HECK

HECK is a family run business making farmers market quality sausages for Britain’s supermarkets. They have since increased their range to include burgers, meatballs, gluten-free and vegetarian sausages. All their products are made using ethical meat and ingredient choices to achieve award-winning quality at affordable every day prices.

We were asked by HECK to produce a Meat and Two Veg Recipe in support of the Check Campaign.

Sausage, Bacon & Bean One Pot

Ingredients:

• 2 Packs of Check Sausages (12 sausages)
• 1 Packet smoked Bacon
• 1 sliced red pepper
• 400g tin Butter Beans
• 200g tinned tomatoes (half a tin)
• 700g Jar passata
• 400g ton of beans
• 2 Teaspoons English Mustard
• 2 Teaspoons Barvarian Sweet mustard (can use wholegrain mustard)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce
• A couple of sprigs of rosemary
• A handful of parsley
• A squirt of barbeque sauce
• 2 teaspoons of brown sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste

What to do:

Roughly chop the bacon and fry in a little bit of oil and set to one side.

Brown off the sausages and add in the rosemary.

Put in the beans and add the bacon back in.

Add all the remaining ingredients and leave on the hob on a low heat for 30 – 40 minutes.

Towards the end add in the fresh parsley.

We had ours with buttery mashed potatoes and broccoli.

Our Comments

We’re big fans of one-pot meals, and both of our kids are fans of sausages. We were really impressed by the quality of the sausages with very little fat coming out during cooking. They stayed intact as well which not all sausages do when added into a saucy one pot. The meal went down very well with all of us enjoying it, and as an added bonus there are plenty of leftovers to make another meal.

SO COME ON FELLA’S – CHECK YOUR MEAT AND VEG!

For more sausage recipes head on over to HECK where they have loads of suggestions. You can also check out the rest of our Family Recipes on our Family Recipes Page.

Our family has recently been hit by the reality of male cancer so we were more than happy to help promote the CHECK Campaign. We were sent two packets of sausages for the purpose of this post but all thoughts and opinions are our own.