A fit and active 60-year-old who thought his persistent back pain was muscular was devastated to discover he had incurable stage four prostate cancer.

Tony Tinnirello was diagnosed in October 2025 after tests revealed the disease had spread to his lymph nodes and pelvic bone. Doctors told him it could be managed but not cured.

Now, a year after his diagnosis, Tony is preparing to walk 60km (36 miles) through the night from Twickenham to Farnham to raise awareness of prostate cancer and encourage other men to take their health seriously.

The Godalming resident will join Farnham Rugby Club's annual Mo Walk on November 20, alongside his partner Tiffany and close friends who have supported him through a difficult year of treatment.

An active man who enjoyed tennis and squash, Tony initially dismissed his lower-back pain as a muscular problem.

But after several visits to his GP, a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test returned a reading of 59, prompting further investigations.

“It wasn’t even on my radar,” he said of prostate cancer.

Tony is now receiving hormone treatment and has completed a month of daily radiotherapy. Despite the side effects, he has focused on maintaining his strength through diet and exercise.

He is determined to complete the full walking challenge, although he may take the shorter 30km route if fatigue proves too much.

“If I had to encapsulate it in a catchphrase, it would be, if you think you can, you can,” he said.

Tony hopes sharing his experience will encourage other men to seek medical advice rather than ignore potential symptoms or put off discussing their risk.

“I’m on the team of people who just want to make people aware,” he said.

According to Prostate Cancer UK, around one in eight men in the UK will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime, rising to one in four Black men.

The Mo Walk began in 2021, when around 15 people from Farnham Rugby Club walked overnight to watch a Movember fundraising rugby match in Richmond.

The event has since grown into a major community challenge, with 78 people signed up this year, including players, former players, relatives and friends.

Organiser Rich Best said: “It’s a community getting together and having a rumble along.

“You get to talk to people in the club community that you’ve never spoken to before. You make great friends and tie bonds through hardship.”

Rich said Tony volunteered to join the walk after their shared business, Syntelic, agreed to sponsor the walkers’ T-shirts.

“Knowing what he’s been through, it says a great deal about him,” Rich said. “Whatever distance his health allows, we’ll be alongside him.”

Farnham Rugby Club raised £55,843 for Movember in 2025, ranking second among UK teams and 17th worldwide, according to figures supplied by the charity.

The club has raised nearly a quarter of a million pounds since 2019.

For Tony, however, the challenge is about more than fundraising.

“I want to be part of the journey everybody’s on, to do something for other people,” he said.

The walk leaves Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, on Friday, November 20, arriving at Farnham Rugby Club on Saturday, November 21, in time for the First XV match against Brunel University.