A hardy pensioner who has beaten cancer eight times now has so much radiation in his body that he sets off supermarket alarms.
Geoffrey Jones, 80, was first diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1971 when he was 26.
He has since survived prostate cancer, lymphoma, a tumour on the spine and four bouts of skin cancer.
But all the radiotherapy he has received over the decades means the security guards at his local Sainsbury’s now turn the alarm off when he comes in to stop him triggering it.
Geoffrey says he is still alive thanks to the care he has received from Bournemouth Hospital in Dorset.
To say thank you to them, he has raised £20,000 for University Hospital Dorset’s charity in the past decade doing their annual March for Men run or walk.
He says he is now ‘slowing down’ after so many battles with the disease, restricting his door to door fundraising.
But he will again lace up his trainers for the charity 5km walk along Bournemouth seafront later this month in a bid to raise thousands of pounds.
Father-of-two Geoffrey, who worked in construction before becoming a diamond tools salesman, had his most recent cancer battle 18 months ago after being diagnosed with a melanoma to the forehead.
He has had skin cancer on his head (twice), back and stomach.
Geoffrey’s daughter Louise has worked at the hospital for 20 years and is a healthcare assistant.
She is getting married next year and Geoffrey hopes to be there to walk her down the aisle.
Geoffrey, from Bournemouth, said: ‘The Royal Bournemouth Hospital, or Boscombe Hospital before that, have saved my life several times.
‘At age 26, the first cancer was caught after I noticed swelling in my testicle. And that was the beginning of it all.
‘Going on from that, cancer had spread to other parts of my body but I didn’t have chemotherapy; the answer in those days was scalpel treatment, extensive surgery.
‘I was subjected to radiotherapy and it had to be stopped after two because my body could not take it.
‘Then there was a tumour on the bottom of my spine, which was removed surgically.
‘But the biggest cancer I had was on my prostate in 2013. And then I had skin cancer four times, two on my head, one on my back and another on my stomach.
‘The most recent melanoma, on my forehead, was 18 months ago.
‘People say I’m indestructible but the most annoying thing for me is when I go to the local Sainsbury’s and I also set off the alarm when I go in and out because of the amount of radiation I’ve had.
‘But they’ve got used to me now so they turn the alarms off when I’m coming!
‘I’ve been doing March for Men for as long as it has been going and I owe so much to the hospital, I owe them for my life and the fact I’ve been able to spend the last 12 years with my family.
“I owe them everything.
“All fundraising in the past has been face to face, going from door to door on my road and a couple of other roads that mean something to me and I’ve had a 100 per cent response rate.
‘But now I’ve been able to do a couple of doors and then I’ve had to go back home to have a nap.
‘All the proceeds will go to the urology department for prostate cancer.
‘It’s a good cause and they thoroughly deserve it.
‘It is so important for men to get checked and not ignore the problem.’
Geoffrey’s Just Giving page can be found here.
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