Aug. 31, 2015
The Vanderbilt football program, in conjunction with the Southeastern Conference, is kicking off a campaign to highlight prostate cancer prevention and awareness during the opening week of the season.
All Commodore players will wear a commemorative prostate cancer prevention sticker on their helmets when Vanderbilt faces Western Kentucky this Thursday in the season opener. Shirts worn by the Vanderbilt coaching staff will have feature a similar prostate cancer awareness patch.
Other special awareness activities will take place during the game that kicks off at 7 p.m. in Vanderbilt Stadium. Tickets remain available for the opener.
The Southeastern Conference launched the campaign to honor former commissioner Mike Slive, who coped with the disease during his administrative career. The league’s 14 athletics directors voted unanimously in May to recognize Slive by dedicating games in his honor. The Prostate Cancer Awareness Games are scheduled on each of the 14 league campuses during the month of September.
Slive is excited to be in attendance at the Vanderbilt-Western Kentucky game.
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among American men. Although the disease is serious, most men diagnosed with prostate cancer can successfully fight the disease with early detection. Men over the age of 50 are encouraged to talk with their physicians about their risk for the disease and their options for screening.
Slive was originally diagnosed with prostate cancer in the late 1990s. In October 2014, he announced he was dealing with a recurrence of his prostate cancer and stepped down at the end of the year after serving as commissioner for 13 years. He has been undergoing treatment periodically and plans to attend several of the games during the month of September.
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center experts are also onboard for this important awareness and prevention campaign. VICC provides multidisciplinary care for men seeking information, screening options and leading-edge treatment for prostate cancer.
VICC’s prostate cancer experts include imaging specialists, urologic surgeons, pathologists, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists and hematologist/oncologists who work together as a comprehensive team to provide high-quality evidence-based care for patients. Members of this team are renowned for their research studies that are routinely published in many of the leading academic medical journals.
Men who want to know more about their risks for prostate cancer or who are seeking care may schedule an appointment at VICC by calling toll free 1-877-936-8422.
