Raising a glass for Fred

Senior Consultant Amy Shore has been working hard to share the memory of her dear friend Fred who sadly passed away from germ cell cancer – the cancer which causes testicular cancer – last year.

This is a story that has touched a lot of us here at Foolproof so we wanted to take the chance to catch up with Amy and share Fred’s story. 

Fred’s story 

Fred sadly lost his battle with cancer last year after contracting pneumonia due to complications from germ cell cancer just seven months after being diagnosed.

The former Anglian Water engineer had experienced a prolonged tickly cough which resulted in trips to the GP but it wasn’t until a mutual friend/respiratory nurse listened to his chest that Fred knew something it was something far more serious. 24 hours later, Fred - alongside his Fiancé - was rushed to St Bartholomew's in London.

Preserving Fred’s memory

Amy and those around her have been working with The Norfolk Brewhouse – the team behind Moon Gazer – to bring to life a tipple in Fred’s memory.

The idea was initially pitched to the team at The Norfolk Brewhouse and by happenstance, they already had a relationship with testicular cancer charity It’s On The Ball who Amy was targeting. 

After describing the kind of beer they wanted to achieve and a visit to the brewery, Fred’s check was born. A beer with a double meaning – part ode to Fred’s love for checked shirts part reminder for men to check their testicles regularly.

Together, they also took charge of product design, what message needed to be delivered when the QR code on the pump was scanned with a reader, right down to some people going – including Fred’s dad – out on initial deliveries of the beer to pubs.

Since launch, casks of Fred’s Check have been purchased by more than 105 pubs with supplies running out fast across the county. There’s also been a treasure hunt with 140 people in attendance, split across 21 teams, all drinking pints of Fred’s. Hearing, ‘I’ll have a pint of Fred’s’ has helped Amy and those around her find solace in Fred’s memory.

But, that isn’t all… Amy is also running the London Marathon for another charity to celebrate Fred’s memory, Children with Cancer UK. 

Funnily enough, Amy herself feels as if Fred would be laughing at the very idea of her running – and with an outside chance of getting a charity place slim Amy was sceptical she would. That said she got a place, again supporting a cancer charity with the aim of raising awareness that cancer can affect people of all ages. Since then, Amy’s been training hard and has started to realise just how long a marathon bloody is!

Spreading awareness

Amy never expected to have such an impact, Fred had a big group of family and friends but the awareness that the efforts being made in Fred’s memory has caused has spread far and wide. There’s been an influx of heart-warming messages of support (including one from St Barts) but moreover, it’s actually encouraged people to go and get checked. People are acting on the awareness Fred’s memory has sparked.

Due to the collective efforts of a lot of people, Fred’s memory can live on – it’s helped people to grieve, to find solace in his memory and provides a talking point about a very real issue whilst having made a big social impact across the region and beyond. 

Donate

Please, if you can, raise a glass of Fred’s in your local or donate to his memory by supporting Amy’s marathon challenge here.