- Every 14.6 hours in Virginia a man dies of prostate cancer.
- Virginia’s prostate cancer mortality rate is 8th HIGHEST in the nation.
- 600 men are expected to die from prostate cancer this year alone.
- One in six men is at lifetime risk of prostate cancer.
- 5,330 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in Virginia this year.
- Over 5 years the number diagnosed is equal to the entire population of Herndon.
- African-American men have the highest rate of prostate cancer in Virginia.
To Advocate or not to Advocate: IS THAT the Question?
by Fred Gersh
“To Advocate” is defined in Webster as … “one who pleads – to speak, to write – another’s cause or in support of something.”
Whether we like it or not, we of the prostate cancer community are in competition for research funding, media attention and general interest given to prostate cancer (PCa).
As a father with three sons all in their 40’s, as a military veteran of Vietnam who was exposed to Agent Orange, as a 21 year PCa survivor whose cancer has returned, I am deeply concerned about stopping this disease and the lack of robust PCa advocacy as compared to other cancer advocacy programs.
I hope you will take the time to advocate. Become a part of the “grassroots and grasstops” team. If you are reading this or someone is reading this and you are listening, you are a member of the prostate cancer community.
Please contact your Congressional members and ask for their support to increase research funding in the DOD (Department of Defense) CDMRP (Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program) HR & S not yet assigned still in committee & expect decisions during 9-11/2010; the HHS (Health & Human Services) Department for the NIH (National Institute of Health, the NCI (National Cancer Institute) and the education and awareness programs of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) HR & S not yet assigned still in committee & expect decisions during 9-11/2010; the establishment of the Office of Men’s Health in HHS (HR 2115); the PRIME Act HR 4756 possibly being reworked for 2011, S 756; the Manton bill HR 4383 possibly being reworked for 2011; the Ultrotrama Bill HR 5106, and the Prostate Cancer Awareness Resolution includes designating September 2010 as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month (H. Res 1485). Also please support your local and State PCa programs with community health awareness programs and state issues. Learn what other groups are receiving and ask that PCa issues/programs be included.
Earlier this July, the American Cancer Society released their PCa estimates for 2010. Note these changes over previous years.
| Year | New Cases | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 217,730 | 32,050 |
| 2009 | 192,280 | 27,360 |
| 2008 | 186,320 | 28,660 |
Even in these past three years, we have learned of significant research yielding new drugs, new protocols for treatment, new screening markers, new actions for improving patient quality of life programs and that there are 27 different varieties of Prostate Cancer.
Who will tell those that need to be informed, if you do not participate?
Contact information is available on the Us TOO and ZERO websites (www.ustoo.org , www.zero.org ). Please visit, call, email, send snail mail, be proactive – ADVOCATE.
As long as our society is organized to listen to the voice of the people, we must advocate, speak up for our beliefs and on what we believe in.
Louis L’Amour wrote – “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers.”
YouTube Story of one man’s prostate cancer journey, click here!
