THERE are few people who have not been touched by the fearsome shadow of cancer.

Whether it’s family, friends or even yourself battling to beat this disease, few of us do not dread its arrival on our doorstep.

Hugh Gibaud is certainly one of the lucky ones.

His eventual visit to the doctor to check out a “bump with a black mark” on the side of his face – spurred on by a friend and his daughter – resulted in the diagnosis of skin cancer.

Unlike many before him, Hugh was treated and has survived, but even now has regular check-ups.

His is a message that those of us of a certain age – I’m now the same age as Hugh was when he was diagnosed – cannot and should not ignore, however reluctant we British men appear to be when reacting to concerns about our own health.

Like Hugh says, melanoma is rare in cancers in that it’s usually possible to see that a problem may be beginning, but there are other male cancers – testicular and prostate in particular – that can be checked with simple personal tests.

Hugh is happy to be at the forefront of a new campaign that does exactly this; urges men over 50 to keep a close eye on the kind of changes that could have taken his own life.

And if you’re given simpler advice to that he eventually took during this campaign, don’t delay. Just take it.