Pints for Prostates

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and the Charlotte Beer Club is sponsoring a local “Pints for Prostates” event on Tuesday, Sept 9th at The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium on
North Tryon Street. For more info call: 704-(704) 568-7ALE.

In an article on www.ustoo.org (Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network), Charlottean Rick Lyke describes how he brought pints and prostates together:

“Pints for Prostates is an awareness campaign designed to reach men through the universal language of beer. We want to communicate with them in a friendly and non-threatening way about the need for regular PSA testing,” says Rick Lyke, a 47-year-old Charlotte, N.C., marketing executive and drinks journalist who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in February. “Early detection is the key to fighting prostate cancer and a PSA test and a physical exam are the best method to catch it early.”

“There are more than 230,000 cases of prostate cancer diagnosed in the U.S. each year, more than the number as new breast cancer cases in women. The problem is that prostate cancer does not get the same level of media attention as breast cancer and most men never discuss the subject with friends or family,” Lyke said. “Luckily I insisted on having a PSA test during a routine physical because a good friend is being treated for the disease. Time is precious when you are fighting prostate cancer. I received the gift of time from a friend. I felt like I had a responsibility to warn other men.”

After successful prostate surgery in April at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago by Dr. William Catalona, Lyke started to think about ways to reach as many men as possible with a message about prostate screening and PSA testing. That is when it occurred to him that one of the best ways to reach men is over a pint of beer.