A sold-out event in Saint John has led to $38,000 being raised for the research of prostate cancer, the most common cancer to affect Canadian men.
During his lifetime, one in seven Canadian men will be diagnosed with the disease. In New Brunswick this year, an estimated 530 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and of those, 95 men will die from it.
At the first Wake Up Call breakfast event from Prostate Canada this year, the crowd heard from keynote speaker Gerry McMackin who is a partner at Stewart McKelvey in Saint John, and shared his own story of being diagnosed with prostate cancer. He urged men to get themselves tested for prostate cancer every year.
“You owe it to yourself and you owe it to your loved ones,” McMackin told the audience. “If you have prostate cancer do your research and ask questions, don’t hesitate to seek another opinion…And try to be positive.”
Today’s guest speaker Gerry McMackin speaking about his personal experience with prostate cancer. This is leadership. #wakeupcallsj pic.twitter.com/SLB98ZNHKe
— Don Darling (@dondarlingSJ) September 26, 2017
Doug Moore was awarded the local hero award at the breakfast event. Moore founded the Saint John prostate cancer support group because of his own journey with the cancer.
“Coming out of it I felt the need to just try to connect with some people that were experiencing the same thing or had experienced, and I looked around town to see what was there and there wasn’t anything,” Moore tells CHSJ News.
“It’s mainly for information but then also just to know that you’re talking to somebody who’s saying to you ‘I’m there too’…it just brings a comfort level.”
Congratulations to Local Hero Doug Moore! Thanks so much for all you’ve done for us and for men and their families facing #prostatecancer pic.twitter.com/8cqPI4i8B2
— PCC Atlantic (@PCCAtlantic) September 26, 2017
The prostate cancer support group meets every second Tuesday of every month at 7pm at the fellowship hall at St. James the Less Anglican church in Renforth. Moore also allowed CHSJ News to share his home phone number: 847-1628.
September is prostate cancer awareness month. You can find more information about prostate cancer here.
