In 1992, when Ken Willoughby was diagnosed with prostate cancer, useful information about choices of treatment and basic facts about the disease were hard to find so Ken and his wife Jan Willoughby organized the Prostate Support Association. They helped set up 15 similar associations in the province, and sent startup information kits to England, China and Australia. In 1996 the Vancouver Island Prostate Cancer Research Foundation was incorporated to stimulate research into prostate cancer causes and treatment, and to encourage public awareness of the importance of early and regular testing.