Charity Golf Day For Heartburn Cancer UK: Teams Wanted

Published on: 18 Jul, 2022
Updated on: 18 Jul, 2022

Golfers have joined forces with charity Heartburn Cancer UK (HCUK) to raise awareness and support the pursuit of early diagnosis of oesophageal cancer following the death of former Worplesdon Golf Club men’s captain, John Harridge.

In January 2020 John was diagnosed with stage 4 oesophageal cancer with secondaries in the bones and liver.

Like so many others, he had little to no indication of symptoms with just mild heartburn before receiving a devastating three-month life expectancy diagnosis. He bravely fought for every last minute to be with his family until he passed on May 26, 2020 aged 61, bringing to an end a short but incredibly tough four-and-a-half-month battle.

His daughter Emma has led a determined fundraising campaign in aid of Heartburn Cancer UK’s work to purchase a mobile diagnostic unit which supports an innovative new diagnostic test called the Cytosponge. Emma and friends ran a half marathon and managed to raise an amazing £20k in sponsorship.

Emma said: “oesophageal cancer is a silent killer with limited symptoms, heartburn in Dad’s case being the only indicator, hence it is frequently only diagnosed when it’s too progressed to fight effectively.”

In May 2022, HCUK was appointed charity of the year for Worplesdon Golf Club to help raise funds and awareness of common symptoms of oesophageal cancer, like persistent heartburn for more than three weeks.