A NEWLY launched collection of writing by the late Fordyce Maxwell has already met production costs and raised £1000 for a prostate cancer charity.
Money raised by the book sales will go to Prostate Cancer UK after the highly respected journalist died of the disease last year, aged 77.
His son Tom said he hoped his father’s experience of prostate cancer would serve as a warning to others.
“My dad was very fit for his age and showed none of the typical signs of early prostate cancer,” he said. “He even went for an 11-mile hike in a week before he was admitted to hospital just before Christmas in 2019, unable to walk due to previously undetected spinal tumours.
“He had gone to the doctor several times over the previous 18 months with back and shoulder pain, only to be sent away for physio rather than a scan.
“We’ll never know for sure, but I think there’s a good chance he could have been with us for a few more years if his cancer had been caught sooner.”
The collection of Maxwell’s columns covers a range of topics including the pain of bereaved parents after the Dunblane disaster. It was something he was tragically familiar with after his elder daughter, Susie, was murdered in 1982.
“He would leave his many loyal readers laughing one minute and crying the next,” said Tom. “But he was every bit as wonderful – if not more so – as a father and a husband, and we still can’t quite believe he’s no longer with us.
But with this book, we will still hear his voice, laugh with him and cry with him, and he’d been so proud that, even after he’s gone, his many wise words will still be helping people to get through life.”
Maxwell wrote regularly for a range of national papers including the Scotsman, Herald and Sunday Post. He was awarded an MBE for Services to Journalism in 1995.
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The book comprises 50 of Fordyce Maxwell’s finest Scotsman articles.
“Fordyce’s story shows why it is so important for men to know about their risk of prostate cancer and what they can do about it,” said Seren Evans, of Prostate Cancer UK.
“Men are at higher risk if they are over 50, Black or have a father or brother who has had prostate cancer. Anyone with concerns can search ‘check my risk’ today and take our 30-second online risk checker.”
When Trees Were Green – The Scotsman Articles of Fordyce Maxwell is priced £15 and is available from www.fordycemaxwell.com
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