John Hester, Chair of the charity Fight Bladder Cancer, died suddenly at his home in Powys, Wales, on Saturday 11 February 2023.
Diagnosed with bladder cancer at age 67, while working as a financial controller for a family group of companies in Wales, John initially helped Fight Bladder Cancer at conferences, attending the British Association of Urological Surgeons conference several times before becoming the charity’s Welsh Regional Co-ordinator. He joined the Fight Bladder Cancer Board of Trustees as Treasurer in 2017 and was elected as Chair the following year.
After his retirement in 2019, John worked in close partnership with local county councils raising awareness of bladder cancer and supporting community projects. He promoted the NHS “Blood in Pee” campaign in Wales, and he led Fight Bladder Cancer’s UK-wide campaign to ensure that as many accessible toilets as possible display a “Not All Disabilities Are Visible” sign. He also volunteered as a Bladder Buddy, helping newly diagnosed patients one-to-one throughout their treatment.
One of the highlights of John’s volunteer work for Fight Bladder Cancer in Wales was meeting with the mayors of Welshpool, Oswestry, and Shrewsbury to spread the word about bladder cancer. The mayors were amazed when they found out how common it is, and they subsequently displayed Fight Bladder Cancer awareness posters in their hometowns.
Tracy Staskevich, a co-founder of the charity Fight Bladder Cancer, said:
“John was passionate about making real change for bladder cancer patients both in Wales and across the UK. He believed in the good of people and was a wonderful, warm, empathetic, and intelligent man – always full of ideas. We will all miss his reassuring presence, encouragement, and steadfast support. Sending deepest condolences to his family and friends.”
Melanie Costin, bladder cancer patient and Support Services Manager at Fight Bladder Cancer, said:
“Our deepest sympathy goes to his wife Valerie, and all of John’s family. He will be profoundly missed by everyone who knew him, as well as all the people he helped in the bladder cancer community. Funny, chatty, and fantastic John – he always tried to look after us. It’s a huge loss.”
John is survived by his wife Valerie, his three children, and his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Deborah Major has stepped up as Interim Chair of the Fight Bladder Cancer Trustees. Diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2012, she has been a Trustee and the Vice-Chair of the charity since 2015. She said:
“It is with profound sorrow and a heavy heart that we mourn the passing of our colleague and friend. I deeply appreciated the strong values that John brought to the board. Our future work at Fight Bladder Cancer will be his legacy.”
Today Fight Bladder Cancer is a national organisation actively involved in awareness, support, policy change, and research.
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More about Bladder Cancer
- Bladder cancer is not a rare cancer, even though it is hardly ever talked about.
- Over 21,000 people are diagnosed with invasive and non-invasive bladder cancer each year in the UK (Kockelbergh, et al. 2017. J Clin Urol, 10(1S) 3–8)
- Most people diagnosed with bladder cancer are over 60 years old, but increasingly people of all ages, from children to teenagers, young adults to the middle
- Despite this high occurrence, it receives less than 1% of the funding for cancer research.
- It is the only cancer today where the prognosis is getting worse.
The symptoms
The main things to look for are
- Blood in your urine, no matter how much or how many times
- A need to urinate more often or with a sudden urgency
- Urinary infections that don’t clear up
About Fight Bladder Cancer
When Andrew Winterbottom had his bladder cancer diagnosis in 2009, he and his wife Tracy Staskevich were shocked to discover no patient-focused support focused on bladder cancer. They made it their mission to ensure that no one in their position should ever feel alone.
Today Fight Bladder Cancer is a national organisation operating from its headquarters in Chinnor, Oxfordshire. It is involved in support, awareness, advocacy, and research. Fight Bladder Cancer actively supports 7,250 patients and family members every year. The charity’s materials are patient-focused and are used by many leading urologists, oncologists, specialist nurses and researchers nationally and internationally. Its website currently receives over 42,000 unique visitors a year.