The co-founder of Helston clothing company Frugi has spoken out about his battle with advanced prostate cancer in a bid to warn others.

Writing on Facebook, Kurt Jewson warned people not to ignore the symptoms and insist upon further checks – something that would have meant a very different outlook for him.

Kurt, 44, said: “Prostate cancer is becoming more prevalent in 'younger' men – men our age.

“If you have blood in your urine, or any other symptom listed on Prostate UK's website, then get a blood PSA test. Insist upon it.

“If I had known earlier, then my treatment and prognosis would have been so different.

“As it was, my cancer was free to grow and grow for another 12 months without anyone knowing.”

Kurt has shared a hard-hitting photograph of himself, complete with catheter and colostomy bag, in the hope that it will get the message across.

His tumour, which is nine on a scale that only goes up to ten, is so aggressive that most surgeons would have refused to operate, but thankfully one of the country’s top prostate surgeons in London agreed to give it a go.

However, due to complications during surgery and resultant septicaemia, radiotherapy and chemotherapy have had to be put on hold while he undergoes further surgery to repair the damage.

Kurt first visited his GP in the summer of 2014 after seeing blood in his urine, but it was put down to an infection.

However, a year later he returned with other symptoms and it was then the cancer was discovered.

Yet despite what he has been through, and continues to face, Kurt is not angry with the initial GP who dismissed the blood in his urine as simply an infection.

He said: “I’m more disappointed that he didn't just think, or have the knowledge, and err on the side of caution. It takes only a couple of minutes to take a blood sample. After my diagnosis he did write me a lovely letter apologising for an 'opportunity missed'.

“Hopefully, with other patients, he will scratch his head and not just dismiss them. I know he must feel terrible about it.”

Kurt credits his wife, Lucy, as being his “rock” who has spent the last six months juggling looking after their two young sons, travelling to and from London to be with Kurt, while still keeping her hand in the business that she and Kurt have worked so hard to build up.

Since posting his story on Facebook three days ago it has been “shared” 80,000 times – something Kurt has encouraged, saying: “It's too important for me to be vain about.”