HRMC to Host Prostate Cancer Screenings Tuesday

To help men take control of their health, the HRMC Foundation Bob Myer Memorial Fund is hosting free prostate cancer screenings Tuesday, December 3 at 4:30 p.m.

Men, make this be a no-more-excuses November. The people you love depend on you. Can they count on you to take care of your health?

It’s No-Shave November – a time when men let their hair grow long and beards get bushy for cancer awareness, all while donating the money they would have spent on shaving and trimming to help those battling cancer. No-Shave November is not just about not shaving, but it’s also a great time for men to move your own health to the front burner and leave the excuses behind.

Men are half as likely as women to visit their doctor for preventative services, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Twelve percent of men ages 18 and older are in fair or poor health. Nearly one in three men age 20 and older are living with high blood pressure or taking medications to regulate their blood pressure. According to the American Cancer Society, one in nine men will receive a prostate cancer detection in their lifetime. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of death for men.

To help raise awareness of the importance of men’s health and early detection activities, Huron Regional Medical Center is hosting free prostate cancer screenings on Tuesday, December 3, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the main lobby of the hospital. Men age 50 or over are encouraged to stop by and take 10 minutes to have a quick blood draw for a PSA (prostate specific antigen) test which measures the amount of PSA in the blood. Men under the age of 40 with a family history are also welcome to attend. There is no cost and the testing is provided by the HRMC Foundation Bob Myers Memorial Fund.

Huron resident Arnie Claeys is lending his voice to the early-detection campaign by sharing his personal prostate cancer journey. Claeys was diagnosed four years ago at the age of 54 after hearing a prostate cancer survivor speak at a Kiwanis club meeting which encouraged him to see have a screening.

“I had been tested several years before, but I had the misconception that prostate cancer was slow growing and regular screenings weren’t that important,” explains Claeys in the video posted on HRMC’s website and YouTube channel. “Early screening wouldn’t have prevented my cancer, but it would have prevented the spread of the cancer and the invasive treatments.”

He encourages viewers of the video to write their own health story. “I’ve always told my three boys: you are men, act like men, be men!” says Claeys. His advice to men everywhere is to take advantage of early screenings, “Man up and get screened!”

To watch Claeys’ story and learn more, visit www.huronregional.org/4men.