I’m into good causes this week.
Ed Randall’s 5th Annual Bat for the Cure Prostate Cancer Awareness and Education Road Trip sponsored by Walgreens, has completed its four-month, 175-game tour that reached 700,000+ men in 2011. Its purpose is to educate about the benefits of early detection and treatment at Minor League ballparks across the country.
ED RANDALL’S BAT FOR THE CURE CONCLUDES RECORD-SETTING
TOUR OF MINOR LEAGUE BALLPARKS
New York, NY, Sept. 22, 2011 — Ed Randall’s 5th Annual Bat for the Cure Prostate Cancer Awareness and Education Road Trip sponsored by Walgreens, has completed its four-month, 175-game tour. The effort brought potentially life-saving information of prostate cancer awareness and education to an estimated 700,000+ men at Minor League Baseball (MiLB) parks across the U.S.
“Never in the history of Minor League baseball has there been a healthcare initiative of this magnitude,” said Randall, host of Remember When on SIRIUS-XM’ MLB talk channel 89 and Ed Randall’s Talking Baseball on WFAN-AM in New York. “I want to thank Walgreens and Minor League Baseball for allowing us to educate men about the benefits of early detection for a very treatable form of cancer. As a survivor myself, I am honored to play a role in educating an under-served constituency from coast-to-coast.”
In 2011, 175 teams hosted Prostate Cancer Education nights at their ballparks, an increase from 137 in 2010. MiLB’s total attendance for the 2011 season was 41,228,029. Among the stops of the Bat For The Cure Tour were the top five ball clubs in average attendance: Lehigh Valley, Louisville, Columbus, Round Rock and Sacramento.
“All men over the age of 30 received a palm card detailing information about prostate cancer and urging them to get a simple PSA blood test to save their lives,” said Bat for the Cure CEO and founder, Ed Randall, a prostate cancer survivor. “In the time it takes to play a baseball game, 72 men across this country will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. More than 230,000 will be diagnosed this year, yet there is a 96-to-97% cure rate if prostate cancer is detected early. I’m one of those lucky guys.”
Prostate Cancer Facts
• Every man over age 40 should have a conversation with his primary care physician about his personal risk for prostate cancer; almost every male is at some degree of risk for prostate cancer.
• One in every six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in his lifetime.
• Prostate cancer has a 96-97% cure rate… if it is caught early.
• A man is 33% more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than a woman is breast cancer
• Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men.
• African-American men have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer than Caucasians. Rates of prostate cancer are 60 percent higher among African-American men.
• Men with a father or brother who has had prostate cancer have more than twice the risk of being diagnosed themselves.
• Regular physical exams of the prostate and PSA blood tests are recommended.
• Age is the strongest risk factor for prostate cancer. The chance of having prostate cancer rises rapidly after age 50. Almost 2 out of 3 prostate cancers are found in men over the age of 65.
• Famous prostate cancer survivors include: Rudy Giuliani, former NYC Mayor; Bob Dole, U.S. Senator; Robert DeNiro, Oscar-winning actor; Harry Belafonte, singer.
Ed Randall’s Bat for the Cure is a 501 c(3) charity and an Official Charitable Partner of Minor League Baseball. For more information, please visit www.batforthecure.org.
