The garden survived cancer - now he scroll up 100 million to help others - AP

Stein Erik Hagen got prostate cancer. Now he gives 100 million dollars to prevent the Norwegian men will experience the same. It may end in a private hospital.

– I think there is something seriously wrong with the way we treat Norwegian men with prostate cancer. Mortality from prostate cancer in Norway is the third highest in the world. I have the desire and opportunity to help to find out the reasons and see if we can help, says Stein Erik Hagen told VG.

November month festival to put light on prostate cancer. Foundation Movember mustache campaign has been well known also in this country.

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High mortality Norwegian

Professor Edward Schaeffer at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore in the United States say the mortality rate is double in Norway:

– In the United States die each year from 9.5 percent of prostate cancer. In Norway dies 18 percent, he said.

– Life expectancy in Norway is among the best in the world, while mortality from prostate cancer is among the worst in the world. It shows that much work must be done in Norway to fight the disease, says Schaeffer.

Was lucky

He will lead a project where he and Norwegian researchers to examine 800 men with prostate cancer. The goal is to understand the genetic factors that make so many Norwegians die of the disease.

We sit in the living room of the villa to the garden at Holmenkollen and look out over the city.

Before Christmas for two years ago there were not the views or Christmas mood he was concerned. During a medical examination that autumn, it was discovered that he had prostate cancer.

– I was lucky: It was discovered early and the cancer had not spread. I chose to be treated by the best in the field, which I found out was the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore in the United States, says Hagen.

Will help

It is his contact with the scientific community at the hospital, which meant that he got to know about the difference in mortality rates and treatment.

– The Johns Hopkins operated 1,200 patients a year, where the best surgeons perform about 250 operations each. In Norway, it operates like many, but at 12 different hospitals. I think we in Norway have much to gain from a reorganization, where the processing takes place in a few specialized centers, says Hagen

– I want to contribute to research that can provide answers as to why we have such a high mortality rate in Norway and how we can get it down. There is no reason why so many Norwegian men will die of prostate cancer, said Hagen.

HERE IS HAGENS PLAN:

1 “Norwegian-Hopkins prostate cancer research program” created, based in the United States. It will run for five years and have a budget of 30 million. The agreement was signed in the U.S. in late October.

2 It’s created a garden-chair as Professor Schaeffer use in research.

3 There shall be established a medical platform where researchers and surgeons from Norway come to the hospital in the United States and how the U.S. is going to surgeons Norwegian hospitals.

4 It created a foundation in Norway, who will coordinate the projects, information on prostate cancer, organizing international conferences and work to develop a leading Norwegian Centre for prostate cancer.

Do not make money

– I strongly believe this. Overall I would contribute with 100 million over several years. We will cooperate with the Norwegian prostate cancer association, the Norwegian research and hopefully Norwegian authorities. The goal is to look at the organization of the efforts being made for those who get prostate cancer in Norway, argues garden.

He says it could end in a private hospital Norwegian ála Celebration clinic for heart disease.

– I hope the effort we put in, helping to bring down the mortality rate. We want it to happen in the public sector, but if it turns out that a private hospital needed to save more lives, I will be helping to fund it, so we can get the capacity and quality.

– So it is at the bottom for you to make money from it?

– No, absolutely not. It is possibly driven by a non-profit foundation, where a possible excess returns to operation, says Hagen.

1000 die each year

– Each five men who die of cancer in Norway, dies of prostate cancer. The number who get prostate cancer each year has increased from 4,000 to 5,000 from 2011 to 2012. Annual thousand men die well, says consultant urologist and Karol Axcrona at the Norwegian Radium Hospital.

– Despite the fact that it is a disease that takes so many lives, it is small in focus. We are very grateful to the people who garden talking openly about their illness and take such laudable initiative, he said.

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