You’ve seen high school athletes wear pink to promote breast cancer awareness, in September, many of them will don the color blue.
September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and Northside Hospital Cancer Institute is partnering with the Georgia Prostate Cancer Coalition (GPCC) and high schools around the state to bring awareness to Prostate Cancer.
High school football teams will give a "show of support" by observing Sept. 2125, 2015 as "Blue Week" throughout high school football in the state of Georgia. Teams will wear blue ribbon decals on their helmets, while all coaches will wearing blue wristbands. Referees will also be throw blue penalty flags, and blue ribbons will be stenciled on the playing fields.
"Blue Week is just what the doctor ordered,” said Dr. Scott Miller, M.D., Head Robotic Surgeon at Georgia Urology. “I am elated that the coaches, high school football fans, players, and their families are teaming up to fight prostate cancer."
Importance
Georgia ranks No. 5 (per capita) in the country on deaths from Prostate Cancer as 1 out of every 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. The number rises to 1 out of 3 among African American men. Prostate cancer is the No. 2 cancer killer in men, second only to lung cancer.
GPCC uses 100 percent of all funds raised or donated to achieve awareness, education and free prostate cancer screenings for the unemployed and uninsured men of Georgia. In 2014, approximately 1,300 men were screened and in 2015, that number should hit 2,000.
