Dublin man Rob sets sail on an epic race challenge

A DUBLIN man, who is a British Airways pilot, will swap his plane for a boat this week when he takes part in an event to help end HPV-related cancer. 

Rob Mead will join Alex Gregory MBE, a two-time Olympic gold medallist, on a 200-mile non-stop ocean race to raise awareness about the urgent need to give boys the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination to help eradicate the  five per cent of cancers caused by the HPV virus.

Despite having never rowed until now, Rob will join Alex in the NOMAN, a race from Barcelona to Ibiza in aid of the HPV & Anal Cancer Foundation starting on July 24.

This year’s race is expected to take over 70 hours with rowers having to deal with sharks, powerful waves, busy shipping lanes, blistering heat and seasickness. 

Each team of five rowers will share a 24ft (7.3m) long boat equipped with two seats and a small sleeping space, taking it in turns to row for two hours and rest for two hours.  

The rowers have trained for five months for up to four hours a day.

Rob told Southside People:

“Having never rowed before it’s going to be a nerve wracking experience to be out in the middle of the ocean dealing with sharks, waves and potential seasickness. 

“We’ve all been training incredibly hard though and hopefully it will all pay off as we get stuck into the 200 miles of rowing we have ahead of us. 

“We’re under no illusion that it will be easy but if it means more people get to hear and learn about the race to end HPV-related cancers then every second will be worth it.

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Ireland’s Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) is currently considering plans to provide the HPV vaccination to boys.  

The UK

?? where over 2,000 men a year are diagnosed with an HPV-related cancer

?? are also considering plans to give boys the vaccination. Currently 400,000 UK boys are denied the vaccination that could protect them from developing a HPV-related cancer.

Some HPV-related cancers, notably oral cancers, are now among the fastest rising cancers in the developed world. 

HPV-related cancers, such as anal cancer, are also among the hardest to diagnose and treat.

Alex Gregory MBE, said:

“As a dad to two boys and a girl this race is incredibly important to me as I want to help raise awareness that boys as well as girls must be given the HPV vaccination if we are to win the race to end 5 per cent of all cancers caused by HPV.  

“Nobody should die or become seriously ill from a cancer that could so easily have been prevented by a simple vaccination.

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Tristan, Justine and Camille Almada, whose mother died from stage IV HPV-related cancer in 2010, created the NOMAN ocean race. 

The race represents the struggle and isolation that many cancer patients feel especially those that carry an extremely challenging stigma.

Tristan Almada, co-founder of the HPV and Anal Cancer Foundation, said:

“HPV is a ubiquitous virus that causes five per cent of cancer in men as well as women. These cancers are on the rise yet they are entirely preventable.  

“We’re rowing because we want to raise awareness about the urgent need to vaccinate boys as well as girls so men are equally protected from such devastating and deadly cancers.

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The UK government is expected to announce soon whether the HPV vaccination will be available to boys as well as girls.

Meanwhile, since the NOMAN ocean race race began in 2011 it has raised over £1.5 million worldwide for the HPV and Anal Cancer Foundation.   

The HPV and Anal Cancer Foundation are asking people to sign up to the Foundation: http://bit.ly/2t7xdO1