Olympic athletes Aly Raisman and Bill Rodgers join
Massachusetts Senate President and Speaker of the House
for Annual Prostate Cancer Awareness Day
BOSTON – On September 12, Olympians Bill Rodgers and Aly Raisman join Senate President Therese Murray, Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo, and other key legislators, physicians and advocates for the 5th Annual Prostate Cancer Awareness Day at the State House. This event takes place just days after President Barack Obama declared September 2013 as National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.
WHY: Prostate Cancer is the most common major malignancy in the United States, striking as many as 1 in 6 men. Even though it is curable when detected early, prostate cancer is the second most lethal malignancy in men, killing an American man every 18 minutes in 2013. African American men are 60% more likely to be diagnosed and 250% more likely to die. And yet, current screening tools such as the PSA test has created such a considerable controversy that recently, major medical and government organizations recommended against its routine use. This situation has left men and their health care providers without a clear approach to early detection, which is critical for saving lives.
WHAT: The goal of Prostate Cancer Awareness Day (PCAD) 2013 is to advance public education of the current advances in prevention, diagnosis and treatment so that men, their caregivers and their physicians will be empowered to make informed and shared decisions on PSA screening and other health care options. Dana Farber Cancer Institute will provide a mobile facility for free counseling and screening of men.
PCAD was established in 2009 by the Boston-based AdMeTech Foundation in collaboration with prostate cancer survivors at the State House, including Senator Stephen Brewer, Senator Kenneth Donnelly and Representative Stephen Kulik. These annual events have gathered broad support from the key state legislators, celebrities, physicians and scientists who joined efforts and created a Massachusetts model of national leadership in prostate cancer awareness and research.
WHO: Prostate cancer survivor Bill Rodgers participated in the Olympic games in 1976 and was elected to the Marathon’s Hall of Fame. Aly Raisman, who recently lost a family member to cancer, won a gold medal in the Olympic games in 2012 and was a top performer on the ABC TV hit Dancing with the Stars in 2013.
Senate President Murray, Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo, Senator Stephen Brewer and Representative Kulik set a historic precedent by issuing a Massachusetts General Court Resolution recognizing prostate cancer as a public health priority, central issue in men’s health and a major health care disparity. Recently, they again led the nation by championing a $1.5 million state research program for the advancement of early detection.
Collaborating organizations include Massachusetts Prostate Cancer Coalition, Cancer Resource Foundation, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Prostate Health Education Network, Men of Color Health Awareness, Whittier Street Health Center, American Cancer Society, Us TOO International and Zero Cancer. Sponsors include Bayer Healthcare, Sotio, Invivo, Genentech and Sanofi.
For more, visit www.admetech.org/PCAD or contact Rob Wu via email rob.wu@admetechfoundation.org.
