TV show slot hopes for cancer campaign

You may remember a story I ran on Performing Males about a young guy who lost his life to cancer, and how his mom and his friends were getting involved in charity work in his memory, primarily with the guys posing naked for a calendar in aid of raising money for testicular cancer. Well there's more news here...


"A MOTHER, who lost her son to testicular cancer, is hoping to appear on Sharon Osbourne’s new talk show.

Julie Jones, of Caia Park, was devastated when Mark, 23, died in June.

She has now set up a charity in his name and an army of his friends have posed naked for a calendar to raise money for the cause.

Mrs Jones has been contacted by a researcher for the Sharon Osbourne Show and asked if she will feature on the live show, which starts tonight on ITV1, and will initially run for six weeks.

A date for the feature has not yet been fixed, but Mrs Jones and a number of Mark’s friends have agreed to travel to London to tell their story.

Production of the calendar, which centres around the theme “Balls to Cancer”, the charity’s catch line, has not run smoothly.

ITV filmed 11 of Mark’s closest friends posing for photos, with various sporting balls preserving their modesty, but problems with developing the film has meant it is behind schedule and may have to be reshot.

Mrs Jones said: “We sent the photographs away to be developed, but the negatives have been damaged.

“We have sent them off again, but are not sure if it will work and we might have to do the photo shoot all over again.”

She was hoping the calendar would be ready in September, and the delay may put her TV appearance in jeopardy.

In July, 2002, Sharon Osbourne was diagnosed with colon cancer. Later, she announced it had spread to her lymph nodes and was more serious than originally thought.

However, her determination helped her overcome the disease, and in August, 2004, she founded the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Programme.

A spokesman for ITV1 said: “This is exactly the type of thing that will feature on the show. We will have lots of fun items, but there will also be a serious aspect to some of them.”

Shortly after Mark’s death, Mrs Jones set up the Mark Jones Testicular Cancer Awareness Fund, to raise money to increase knowledge about the cancer.

If she can save just one life her time and effort will have been worthwhile, she says.

“I want to get more leaflets put up in doctor’s surgeries and clinics and also handed out in schools.

“There’s lots about breast and other cancers, but you don’t often see anything about testicular cancer.

“I want boys to be taught about it in school, how to check themselves and what to look out for.”

Mark found a lump on his testicle 12 months before he was diagnosed. Mrs Jones believes he put off going to the doctor because of embarrassment and says she wants to break the stigma surrounding the disease.

A recent charity night raised £1,585, and that has gone on making the calendar.

The money from the calendar sales will go to producing leaflets and other publicity to raise awareness of the disease." (rhyljournal)

I can't think of a better way to raise money than by getting some cute dudes nude. Lets hope they have every success.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/performingmales