BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and on Saturday, September 24th, Zero: The End of Prostate Cancer will host a run/walk for prostate cancer awareness at Yokuts Park in Bakersfield.
Zero: The End of Prostate Cancer came into existence when a coalition of concerned patients, physicians, and advocates came together in 1996 to create the National Prostate Cancer Coalition. The organization has evolved, merging with similar prostate cancer organizations, to become one of the largest grassroots prostate cancer advocacy and education organizations in the United States.
The name of the organization, Zero, is a reference to their ultimate goal: Generation Zero - the first generation of men free from prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer affects millions of American families. According to the American Cancer Society, one out of every eight people assigned male at birth will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. About six in ten cases are diagnosed in people 65 years of age or older, and is more likely to develop in non-Hispanic Black men.
According to the Zero factsheet, there are more than three million people living with prostate cancer in the United States, and every fifteen minutes, another one is lost.
The good news is that early detection is saving lives. According to Zero, the most recent research shows the relative five-year survival rate for all people with prostate cancer is 98 percent, making prostate cancer one of the most easily treated cancers in people. Most people diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die of it.
Even so, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men, second only to lung cancer. Early detection and treatment is the key to having a good outcome. Everyone with a prostate should speak with their doctor about having a checkup. This is especially true of people over the age of 40.
The Zero Walk/Run for the End of Prostate Cancer will start at 8:00 am on Saturday. Registration and t-shirt pickup will start at 7:00, and there will be a brief welcoming ceremony at 7:45. The event will host local vendors, as well as sponsoring a Kids’ Superhero Dash for Dad at 9:15.
Zero also offers a virtual option for those who can’t make it to Yokuts Park. Register online, download the app, and keep track of your distance between September 30th to October 2nd. The virtual walk/run will host a leaderboard and a music playlist, as well as provide a place for participants to share their selfies and walk photos.
