Tour de USA 2010 for Prostate Cancer Awareness

29000 Men Comment

We are moving forward on our planning for our cross country (and back) motorcycle trip to raise awareness for prostate cancer. If you ride a motorcycle and are interested in the ride of a lifetime, pop on over to the TourdeUSA website and watch our TourdeUSA blog for details.

15 Pounds in 15 Months. Will They Kill Me?

29000Men Comment
I just finished watching Mike Anderson’s movie, Healing Cancer, and I must say that it made a major impact on my thinking.

If you have read my short bio on the blog, you know my prostate cancer background. After my treatment, I searched for ways that I could affect the potential future recurrence of my prostate cancer. The only options I found were diet and exercise, because I wasn’t in the position to change my environment either by lowering work stress or by physically moving to a new location (I live in Manhattan Beach, CA).

I adopted a vegetarian diet and got back on my bicycle. Within 6 months I had dropped to 142 pounds, my weight at the time I graduated from college and entered the US Army. I felt great, although I looked a bit thin to most people (that’s why you see me sporting a beard - it makes my face look a bit fuller).

However, over the past year I relaxed my diet to include chicken, turkey, and an occasional fling with red meat, but also more non-vegetable carbohydrates and, of course, the cheese that I love. The result? My weight has increased to 158 pounds (my normal weight at surgery was 162 pounds - I stand 5’10“).

Yesterday, I reverted to my vegetarian regime and I’ll follow my progress on this blog. I would be very interested in hearing from other PCa survivors about their reflections on Mike Anderson’s research.

Best regards, Robert.
Test.Track.Treat.Live.™

PS: If you are a motorcyclist, check out http://www.tourdeusa.org. I'll be riding across the US and back in 2010 to get guys thinking about prostate cancer. I would love to have company along the way.

New AUA Prostate Cancer Screening Guidelines

We are happy to provide a link to the AUA's (American Urologic Association) latest prostate cancer screening guidelines. Just visit the site and you can download a copy of their guidelines brochure.

I would like to note that the guidelines recommend an annual PSA for men beginning at 40, along with a DRE (digital rectal exam). Although I am not a physician and do not provide medical advice, I suggest that men have a Free PSA test if their PSA test comes back positive. I say this because in my case my two tumors were located on top of the prostate where they could not be felt by DRE. Fortunately, my urologist requested a Free PSA test (your Free PSA value should be equal to or greater than .25 (25%) of your total PSA, and the tumors were detection prior to metastasis. If your Free PSA/total PSA is less than .25, it is an indication that a tumor may be present and you should consult your physician. If you do not have a physician (and you should!), you can obtain these tests on your own from an independent laboratory.

Remember, it is not the absolute PSA value that matters most, but the change from year-to-year. Should your PSA value change approximately .75 or more from one year to the next, you should see a physician immediately.

Want a little adventure in your life? Join us for all or part of the 2010 Tour de USA for prostate cancer awareness or join us on the Tour de Skyline Drive this August 22-24.

Virgin Tour de USA?

Hello All: I'm still working on generating some interest in the Prostate Cancer Tour de USA in 2010. The good news is that we have received our formal "Tour de USA" trademark registration from the US Patent Office. The bad news is that we still are challenged in getting men to think about testing annually for the Number Two cancer killer of men, and in getting companies interesting in engaging with us. That said, we continue to save lives one man at a time as we talk to men about the disease.

I just submitted the Tour de USA for consideration as one of the Virgin Group's "Virgin Unite" charity initiatives. It would be great to have Richard Branson ride a segment with us.

The 2010 ride will go from statehouse-to-statehouse and we need volunteers to make arrangements for those stops. So, it you have a few minutes and the desire to help, check out the route in our previous post and send us an email to see how you can help.

Tour de USA Route

The inaugural Tour de USA for prostate cancer awareness will take place in June, 1010. The ride begins in Sacramento and the tentative routing is as follows: Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin (H-D headquarters), Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, West Virginia, Washington, DC, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas (panhandle), New Mexico, Arizona, California.

We are looking for assistance coordinating PR stops at Harley-Davidson dealerships along the way. There also are a few spots on the core group who can ride the entire distance.

If you are interested in riding or would like to help, send an email to TourdeUSA@29000men.org.

Prostate Cancer Survivor Preaches Testing

Convincing men to test for prostate cancer is an ongoing challenge. A recent article in the South Florida Times provides a great example. A 46 year old man recently diagnosed with prostate cancer organized a free seminar attended by 80 men. Of the 80, only 33 took a blood test (41%) and only 27 (34%) agreed to a digital rectal exam. We guys are a macho bunch, but there is a very real danger here. The 10-year survival rate for treatment prior to metastasis is 97%; for post-metatastic treatment the 10-year survival rate is only 17%. If we survivors can gently remind our colleagues about the need for testing and tracking the annual change - if any, we can make some significant inroads into late diagnoses. The Prostate Cancer Awareness Project is sending a rider across the US by bicycle in 2010 to raise funds for awareness events. Visit http://www.TourdeUSA.org and join the team.

First Post

This blog will chronicle my journey through life with prostate cancer as my wingman. I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in December 2002, and underwent radical prostatectomy in May 2003. Since then, I have continued my business life and created a small non-profit, the Prostate Cancer Awareness Project, to get men to test annually. The past five years have been interesting ones, and I have decided to create this blog to post my thoughts for those that are following in my footsteps and those of the men who have preceded me. The blog name, 29,000 Men, refers to the approximate number of men that die each year in the United States from prostate cancer. I look forward to engaging with you.