A FAMILY of men are going without shaving for the whole of December in honour of their “courageous” grandfather.

Ron Kent, 81, of White Horse Crescent, Grove, survived bowel cancer, inspiring his family to raise money for charity Bowel Cancer Research.

Mr Kent’s son Bob, his brother Paul, his grandson Stuart and his son-in-law Graham Belcher are asking friends to sponsor them for “Decembeard”.

Bob Kent, who lives in Fairford with wife Julie but grew up in Wantage, said: “We are doing this because of the courage, bravery and strength my dad showed through all his treatment and now. Seeing him during the operations stage was terrible and we all thought the worst, but when he recovered it was like a little light came on. He’s done really well.”

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The father-of-three, 53, added: “Bowel Cancer Research is not such a well-known charity, so we wanted to raise as much as possible. We thought if we all came together we could really achieve something.”

Father-of-four and grandfather-of-eight Mr Kent was diagnosed with bowel cancer in August 2012.

He had his first operation at the John Radcliffe Hospital that December and began radiotherapy at Oxford’s Churchill Hospital in January.

He had 25 sessions in total, and had an operation to remove the tumour in May 2013. The following May he was given the all-clear. Mr Kent, a former milk truck driver for Wantage’s Humphries Brothers, said his treatment at both hospitals could not have been better.

He said: “I am lucky to still be here. Both hospitals were absolutely brilliant. The surgeon said he thought he got it all, and he must have done.”

He and his family have already started raising money for bowel cancer research.

Last Christmas they bought him a swear jar as a joke but they have already raised £150 with it and a fundraising barbecue. He said he thought Decembeard was a good idea, but couldn’t manage it himself. He said: “I have always shaved. If my hair gets long or I get stubble I just can’t handle it.”

 

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