Prostate cancer survivor and Prostate Centre volunteer Dan Hubbard knows that prostate cancer is the most common cancer to affect men, representing 34 per cent of all newly diagnosed cancers in B.C. men.
And on Saturday at the Country Grocer Men’s Health Day, he wants men to take action that could be lifesaving.
“There is no better time than September, during National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, for men to talk with their health care providers about this disease so that they can make informed decisions about maintaining their prostate health. And there is no better event than the Country Grocer Men’s Health Day to learn more,” said Hubbard.
The Country Grocer Men’s Health Day encourages men to implement positive lifestyle choices and to seek early and appropriate treatment for disease and injury through free health assessments, consultations and educational materials.
A key component of the Country Grocer Men’s Health Day is free PSA screening for prostate cancer. The PSA is an important marker for a disease in which symptoms are not always present. According to newly released recommendations from Prostate Cancer Canada, men should get a baseline PSA test in their 40s instead of waiting until their 50s. In 2014, Country Grocer Men’s Health Day tested 627 men, with 26 of these tests showing risk for prostate cancer.
“Remember, early detection can saves lives,” said Hubbard.
Nationally, one in eight Canadian men will be diagnosed with the disease in his lifetime.
“But prostate cancer is not just a man’s disease,” Hubbard notes. “It devastates families. The additional impact on wives and children, through loss of loving partnership and loss of income takes its toll.”
The 12th annual Country Grocer Men’s Health Day will take place Saturday, in the lower level of the Tillicum Shopping Centre from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, visit TheProstateCentre.org or call The Prostate Centre at 250-388-0214.