APRIL 2024

Best,

Ed Randall
Founder + Chief Advocacy Officer
Fans for the Cure

A room filled with New York City baseball fans turned out at the Cradle of Aviation Museum on Tuesday night, May 9, for an in-depth conversation between Mets’ Legend Doc Gooden and Fans for the Cure founder Ed Randall (SiriusXM, MLB Network Radio). The special evening took place in advance of the retirement of Gooden’s No. 16 jersey, which took place in a pregame ceremony at Citi Field on April 14.  

Gooden and Randall explored the highlights of Gooden’s career, especially Doc’s Rookie of the Year season in 1984, his pitching Triple Crown (K’s, ERA, most wins, Cy Young) in 1985, and the Mets’ World Series Championship in 1986. The conversation touched not only on the highlights of Doc’s career but also on the personal challenges he has faced in dealing with the hardships of substance abuse.  

Thank you to Doc Gooden, who has always enthusiastically supported Fans for the Cure with memorable appearances like this one. Proceeds from the event went to Fans for the Cure and the Cradle of Aviation in Garden City, N.Y., the evening’s hosts. Both organizations are 501(c)(3) charities.

Negative side effects of prostate cancer treatment can leave men facing the physical and emotional challenges of erectile dysfunction. Yet, prostate cancer patients do not have to resign themselves to permanent erectile dysfunction or the complete loss of sexual function as a side effect of their treatment. Urologist and men’s sexual health specialist Dr. Amy Pearlman believes “every man can be helped to regain control of their sexual health” through individualized therapy regimens. Over the course of the conversation, Dr. Pearlman outlines a number of treatment options and methodologies to help address sexual dysfunction.

Noted urologist Dr. Joseph Alukal of NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia Doctors recently led an honest and spirited discussion and Q&A about men’s health, especially the importance of screening for prostate cancer in the African-American community. The occasion was Prostate Cancer Awareness and Education Night as part of Generation Church’s regular Monday meeting of the “G-men” in New Rochelle, N.Y. on April 15.  

Fans for the Cure founder Ed Randall also addressed the group, which received educational takeaway materials from Geo Rhett and Loren Bellamy from Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine. Geo and Loren also spoke to the men about J&J’s “Talk That Talk” program which emphasizes the need for safe and supportive spaces to learn about and discuss prostate cancer.   

Many thanks to Minister Mark McLean and the G-men for the warm and engaging welcome.

Fans for the Cure confirmed this week that MLB legend and Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins will be this year's athlete honoree at our charity's second annual "A Night on the River" in Chicago. The event will take place in the late fall.   

Last year's honorees were our longtime friends, Hall of Famer Andre Dawson and Dr. Chris Gonzalez of Loyola Medicine. The event was covered regionally by the Marquee Sports Network. (Watch video coverage of the 2023 event.)

Details and a website are being finalized. Tickets to "A Night on the River" will go on sale to the general public on June 1. Please email us at [email protected] with questions about tickets or sponsorship/supporter packages.  

As the number of men registered for the Men’s Support Group has risen to more than 350, we have noted a similar percentage increase in the number of men who are availing themselves of our charity’s Physician Referral Program. 

Fans for the Cure has long emphasized the importance of involving the smartest, most skilled, and most widely experienced (ask for numbers) medical teams a man can find to manage his diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer.    

If there is no comprehensive cancer center in your area, know that more men than ever are managing their education process and second-opinion gathering with telemedicine appointments. 

For our help in facilitating appointments with trusted urologists and oncologists, contact our referral program via email at [email protected] or at (888) 301-4414.

May 4 (Saturday) – Community Fair, All Hallows High School, 111 East 164th Street, Bronx, NY. 12 PM – 3 PM.   

May 10 (Friday) – J.W. Dodd Middle School, Mental Health Awareness Day, Freeport, NY. 11 AM – 2 PM.

May 18 (Saturday) – Murray Hill Park Avenue Day. Run by the Murray Hill Neighborhood Association. Park Avenue between 34th and 40th Streets (west side of Park Avenue). Physician and sports guests at Fans for the Cure booth TBA. 10 AM – 5 PM.

June 8 (Saturday) – St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Roosevelt, NY. 12 PM – to 3 PM.  

June 13 (Thursday) – Screening and Prostate Cancer Awareness Night. Mets vs. Florida Marlins, Citi Field. Piazza 31 Club. Screenings begin when gates open, will continue through the fourth inning of the game. Game ticket required. In collaboration with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital – Columbia and Weill Cornell Medicine.

June 16 (Sunday) – Jazz 4 Dads, Celebration of Fathers and Men’s Wellness, East Windsor, NJ. Jazz, cocktails, buffet. 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM. More details: jazz4pca.org.

June 20 (Thursday) – Cardinals vs. Giants at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, former home of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues. Fans for the Cure has been invited to staff a table to distribute prostate cancer awareness materials. 5:30 gates, 7 PM first pitch.

June 23 (Sunday) – Cedar Rapids Kernels – Garner Community Day: Prostate Cancer Screening and Awareness at Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Game followed by on-field catch, all spectators welcome to have a catch, baseballs provided. 12 PM – 4 PM. 

June 29 (Saturday) – Messiah Baptist Church, Prostate Cancer Awareness and Education Seminar, Yonkers Public Library, Yonkers, NY. 10 AM – to 1 PM.

July 13 (Saturday) – Uzo Felix Health Foundation Health Fair, Roosevelt, NY. 10 AM – 2 PM.

July 20 (Saturday) – Wiffle Ball Tournament (and Prostate Cancer Awareness Day), New York Athletic Club, Travers Island, Pelham, NY. 12 PM – 7 PM.

September 12 (Thursday) – Yankee Stadium Screening. In Collaboration with the Yankees and Montefiore Einstein. 

September 15 (Sunday) – NYU Prostate Cancer Seminar – Mineola, NY.  8 AM – to 12 PM (lunch included).

September 22 or 29 (both Sundays) – A Catch for the Cure in NYC. Location TBA soon. 10 AM – 1 PM.  

November 9 (Saturday) – Veterans Day Weekend Screening. In collaboration with Catholic Health. At Cradle of Aviation Museum. 10 AM – 3 PM.

For a cancer patient, receiving the best individualized care for a specific disease might require traveling to an out-of-town treatment center. As many of us know, this can present a unique set of emotional, physical, and financial burdens.  

Just a quick reminder to consider the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge when making final decisions about your healthcare decisions, either after your initial diagnosis or should you have a return of detectable disease. There are no room charges at Hope Lodge. Note: patients staying at Hope Lodge must be in active cancer treatment.  

In addition to the Hope Lodge in New York City (60 rooms), there are over 30 other Hope Lodge locations in the United States, many of which run on-demand shuttles to healthcare centers, as New York does. 

In addition to the Hope Lodge program, the American Cancer Society has donated over 150,000 room nights since 2013 through its partnership with Extended Stay America.

Both of our online support groups are free and open to all men and women respectively, with registration required.

Men's Support Group

• Thursday, May 2 at 7 PM ET – Register for the Men's Support Group meeting. 
• Thursday, May 16 at 7 PM ET

Women's Support Group

• Tuesday, May 7 at 8 PM ET – Register for the Women's Support Group meeting
• Tuesday, May 21 at 8 PM ET

Fans for the Cure allows attendees to register for only the immediately upcoming online support group meeting. Thanks for understanding our desire to keep our meetings safe, secure, and private.

We thank Bayer for generously underwriting the technical and production costs associated with Fans for the Cure’s Online Men’s and Women’s/Caregivers’ Support Groups.

Over the past twenty years, Fans for the Cure has been fortunate to develop a strong network of trusted doctors, many of whom practice at NCI-Designated Cancer Centers. We are always available to assist you in finding a prostate cancer-focused physician or multidisciplinary team to guide you and your loved ones through all phases of the disease.

For timely referrals in all fifty states and Canada, please get in touch with us at (888) 301-4414 or via the orange button below. We promise to get back to you within twenty-four hours at the very latest.

In this section, we share links to blog posts, news articles, medical journals, books, and other items that we think will be of interest to you.

1. Genetic testing led to early cancer detection for father, daughter
2. The emotional toll of surgical complications on urologic surgeons – by Amy N. Luckenbaugh, MD. Dr. Luckenbaugh is an assistant professor of urology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
3. APCCC 2024: Who Should Undergo Germline Testing? – The 2024 Advanced Prostate Cancer Consensus Conference (APCCC) was held in Lugano, Switzerland earlier this month. Dr. Heather Cheng discussed who should undergo germline testing.
4. Prostate cancer: stigma, early screening and support – A prostate cancer survivor and a caregiver and advocate want to inspire more people to talk about the disease.
5. Component of keto diet plus immunotherapy may reduce prostate cancer

Donations from readers like you make our work possible. Health events in the community, online support groups, medical referrals, and our Stay in the Game podcast are all funded by financial gifts. Your contribution today enables our programs to continue to support men and families who are dealing with prostate cancer.

Call us: 888-301-4414