“About 1 man in 6 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. More than 2 million men in the United States who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point are still alive today.” Cancer.org has other sobering statistics about this disease that affects so many men, many of them still in the prime of their lives.
To put this into simpler terms: if there are 6 men in your life that you love, one of them will probably get prostate cancer during his life. That’s a lousy statistic, if you ask me.
Treatment options have vastly improved over the years. Not everyone who is diagnosed with prostate cancer is a candidate for the surgery (which leaves the man incontinent and impotent). Now, there are options for treatment that are less invasive. Doctors and scientists still have a lot to learn about the disease, but prostate cancer is no longer the death sentence it once was. This is good news for the one man out of six who will be diagnosed with prostate cancer each year.
I ran into my friend Tim Hillmer at the gas station last week. We chatted for a few minutes before he mentioned that he’s going to run a 5K charity race for prostate cancer on September 25, 2010 in Denver. Tim was diagnosed with prostate cancer at the age of 49, and has tirelessly worked to find successful treatment options that do not include surgery. I jumped at the chance to run with him and support this cause. I would be honored.
The Blue Shoe Run for Prostate Cancer is 9-25-10, 8 AM, at the Urology Center of Denver, just north of Invesco Field. There will be tons of fun things to do, including getting a free prostate cancer screening! Also, there will be a kids’ giant inflatable slide, free beer, and music. :-) If you can’t run on Saturday, or want to support the race with a donation, click on the Donation link to support this important cause.
Lots of folks are in Marathon Training right now, and luckily the race is on a Saturday when many people (like me!) have an easy recovery run on the books in preparation for Sunday’s Long Run. This race is for a GREAT cause, and will be a ton of fun. Register before race day, show up, run for charity, and start the weekend off with a bang!
