Terminally ill Leeds dad to feature on special charity match ball for Prostate Cancer UK

The Chesterfield v Notts County tie in the Vanarama National League will feature a custom ball in striking blue and orange, raising awareness of the most common cancer in men.

The ball features powerful testimonies from four men affected by the disease, including a quote from 48-year-old Lloyd Pinder from Leeds.

Lloyd was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer when he was just 44.

-> Leeds family overjoyed as lifesaving cystic fibrosis drug given green light on NHSHe has worked tirelessly with Prostate Cancer UK since his diagnosis to raise awareness and money to help others with the disease.

Lloyd said: “I think it is vitally important that the charity uses me as a vehicle for awareness because I’m so young.

“People originally thought that prostate cancer was an old man’s disease, but unfortunately there is evidence that people are getting it much earlier.

“Football is our national sport. It appears to everybody - most men, fathers, grandfathers, sons and daughters.

“It’s vitally important that girls know as much about it as possible too. It’s not a men’s issue; this is a family issue, a society issue, a world issue.

“It was an absolute no-brainer to get involved and use my name to promote the Vanarama campaign.”

The custom ball is part of Vanarama’s six-week ‘MANarama’ campaign, where the league is renamed as the MANarama National League to highlight that a man dies from prostate cancer every 45 minutes in the UK.

The four testimonies on the match ball are hoped to prompt fans to consider their health and get checked for prostate cancer.

-> These are the most common symptoms of prostate cancer - and how to get tested​Lloyd's quote says: 'We stand together in our quest to change the game for men and their families affected by prostate cancer, and the grassroots game is the perfect platform to do this.'

The father-of-two added: “The colour of the ball will hopefully draw attention as it’s completely different to the usual white ball.

“Hopefully there will be a few thousand people at the game thinking, ‘why is that ball different?’

“With the power of social media, people should start Googling and searching for information on prostate cancer."

Lloyd lives with his wife Tina and two daughters, 11-year-old Gracie and 6-year-old Lola, who he says have been an incredible support.

After his fundraising efforts, Lloyd has received public support from Sky Sports' Jeff Stelling, who is an ambassador for Prostate Cancer UK and called Lloyd a 'big hero'.

Lloyd said: “I don’t see myself as a hero, I just see it as my duty as a human being to do what is right.

“You have to make the best out of a bad situation and I don’t want anybody to go through what I’m going through, my family, friends or work colleagues.

“Through the power of our awareness campaigns, I’ve had a number of people contact me to say they have gone to get checked and have prostate cancer - but it’s not terminal and they are going through treatment.

“It’s very overwhelming because it feels as though I have saved them. That’s a great feeling.

“A lot more people are aware of prostate cancer, but the big message is to reassure people not to be afraid to get checked. You’re not alone.”

The custom Vanarama match ball will be used for Chesterfield v Notts County - which kicks off at 5.20pm at the Proact Stadium.

-> New hope for prostate cancer