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The Race Against Cancer is On!
SURVIVORS and SUPPORTERS speak out against a killer disease.
by John Carrigan
Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among American men-one in every 10 will develop it in his lifetime. Yet most men cannot identify even one of the risk factors. They're reluctant to discuss medical issues in public, especially one that can have such devastating side effects.
But prostate cancer is just as prevalent as breast cancer-some 180,400 new cases were diagnosed in 2000, compared to 182,800 cases of breast cancer, according to American Cancer Society estimates. Mortality estimates are even more alarming: 31,900 deaths last year from prostate cancer, 40,000 from breast cancer. But there the similarities end. For the past two decades, women have done a tremendous job in alerting the nation to the dangers of breast cancer and the importance of early detection through self examination and a yearly mammogram, while, for the most part, men remain silent about prostate cancer.
But the wall of silence is beginning to crumble, as more and more prostate cancer survivors, their spouses and supporters speak out against this killer disease.
Celebrities are also getting involved, and World Cup ski champion Kiki Cutter is a good example. For the past five years Ms. Cutter has organized the Spirit of Skiing, a weekend of ski events, entertainment and camaraderie designed to raise money for a good cause. For the second year in a row, the Spirit of Skiing, presented by Newsweek, will benefit the Cancer Research Institute's Prostate Cancer Initiative, the only program of its kind dedicated to eradicating prostate cancer through raising funds for clinical research, enhancing patient support programs and broadening public awareness.
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