Calendars - Part 22

 Bright Northumbria Hospital A&E

The staff of Wansbeck General Hospital A&E in Ashington, England, put out this naked calendar in 2014.  A&E stands for Accident and Emergency, which would be called the emergency room in the U.S.

The purpose of the calendar was to raise awareness of testicular cancer and encourage men to self-check.

The calendar was the brainchild of A&E charge nurse Greg Leathard, who posed as Mr. February, above.

Other men who posed for it included reception and domestic staff, healthcare assistants, senior nurses, doctors, and A&E consultants.  I'm not quite sure what the guy on the right is doing to the guy lying down, but they're all smiling.

Unlike most naked calendars, the publicity for this one included photos of all twelve months, which I am showing you.

Usually, calendars release a few photos for publicity, but to see all of them, you have to buy the calendar.

Maybe the guys behind this calendar weren't as concerned about making money from the calendar (although profits went to charity) as about getting the message out.

Each month has a little note with some information about testicular cancer.

And each month has a note: "check your balls every month," so when you flip to a new month in the calendar, you'll be reminded.

Malcolm Sansom, an A&E charge nurse, was Mr. September.  On a local TV broadcast he talked about posing for the the calendar: "Oh, there was no hesitation.  Just straight in, straight off with the kit, and got the pictures taken.  It was really good.  A good laugh."

Nurse Greg Leathard said that men tend to be shy about this subject, but they shouldn't be.

Many naked calendars, such as the ones by student organizations, show a combination of nude males and females.  This one, befitting the testicular theme, is all male.

As the December page points out, with early diagnosis, testicular cancer is 98% curable.  That's something to smile about!