MAY 2025

Like many of you, I took note of the recent announcement that former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an advanced stage of prostate cancer. We send him our heartfelt wishes for effective treatment and strength. We hope reporting of his diagnosis serves to focus much-needed attention on a disease that too often remains in the shadows of our collective consciousness.  

With prostate cancer, it is essential for men and families to understand the importance of early detection, as well as the realities faced by men who, like President Biden, must deal with the most aggressive forms of the disease. 

Here at Fans for the Cure, our mission has never felt more urgent. As a Medical Advisory Board member told us last week, “I have never seen more prostate cancer diagnoses – and later-stage diagnoses – than I am seeing right now.”

But like many nonprofits this year, we are facing serious financial headwinds—cutbacks, delayed funding, and a general tightening of charitable giving. We salute the continued dedication of our fellow charities of all sizes and causes that are fighting the good fight each day to make a difference in the lives of people who count on their help.    

Because of you—our supporters, donors, partners, and friends—we are keeping men in the game. We continue to host screenings, lead support groups, reach underserved communities, and bring our messaging to churches, health fairs, civic meetings, and other places where men gather. Every program we have ever delivered has been possible because people like you believe in our mission.

Thank you for standing with us, especially during these challenging times. We never take your support for granted. 

With deep appreciation,

Ed Randall
Founder + Chief Advocacy Officer
Fans for the Cure

Given that this Thursday’s Men’s Online Support Group will be the first meeting since President Biden’s announcement of his advanced prostate cancer diagnosis, we expect much discussion and many questions around the issue.

To tighten up what otherwise might be guesses and theories, we have enlisted Dr. Matthew Ferroni of Mercy Urology Clinic in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to be us for the full hour through the magic of Zoom.

Expanding on a frequent support group question, Dr. Ferroni will explore the debate of the age at which a man should stop taking annual (or regular) PSA blood tests. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends ending PSA tests at age 70, while several health centers and learning institutions urge men to continue testing for PSA if their life expectancy is judged by their medical professionals to be ten years or more.

Click on the blue button below to register to attend Thursday’s meeting which will begin at 7:00 EDT. A Zoom link will be emailed on Thursday to all those who sign up for this meeting. 

The Messiah Baptist Church will hold its fourth Prostate Cancer 101 session on Saturday, May 31, at the Yonkers Public Library. The event will run from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

The special guest presenter will be Dr. Joseph Alukal, Assistant Professor at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Director of Men’s Health at Columbia/NewYork-Presbyterian, and Medical Director for Access-to-Care for ColumbiaDoctors.

Dr. Alukal’s session will begin at 11 a.m. and include a Q&A session with the audience. The public is welcome. All questions about attending should be directed to [email protected].

Special thanks to Focal One for their generous support of this event.

Crain’s New York Business has named Fans for the Cure’s Founder + Chief Advocacy Officer, Ed Randall, among its list of Notable and Influential Leaders in NYC Nonprofits and Philanthropy for 2025.

A story, bio, and photo of Ed will appear in the print edition of the June 9 issue of Crain’s. There is a paywall to the online edition, but we are confident we can find a (lawful) way to share the content with you as soon as it is available. 

Congratulations to Ed and thank you to Crain’s New York Business for recognizing his work and his decades-long dedication to our charity’s mission of overall men’s health and the early detection of prostate cancer.

Fans for the Cure was recently cited by podcast and blog evaluator FeedSpot as one of the 15 Best Prostate Cancer Podcasts, coming in at No. 3.

Stay in the Game has been hosted by Ed Randall, along with a rotating group that has included Chairman, Steve Garvey, and Women’s Support Group moderator, Karen Shaffer. 

The charity thanks FeedSpot and its founder, Anuj Agarwil, for his company’s support and his personal encouragement since Fans for the Cure debuted Stay in the Game in May 2020, exactly five years ago. Our gratitude also goes out to Bayer, Cancer Health Magazine, and Focal One for podcast sponsorship support from the beginning.    

Current and upcoming episodes of Stay in the Game:

• Recently released – Dr. James Wysock, NYU Langone Health
• June – Dr. Matthew Ferroni, Mercy Urology Clinic, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
• July – Ozzie Smith, Baseball Hall of Fame, Prostate Cancer Survivor
• August – Dr. Ashutosh Tewari, Director of the Department of Urology – the Mt. Sinai Health System

• May 31: Prostate Cancer 101, Messiah Baptist Church, Yonkers Public Library – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with presentation at 11 a.m. by Dr. Joseph Alukal, ColumbiaDoctors
• May 31: Take Action vs. Cancer/Health Screening Day. Plainfield (NJ) High School – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• June 4: Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School, Bronx, NY, Health Fair/Educational Event – 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
• June 11: National Survivorship Day Celebration, St. Joseph Medical Ctr., Paterson, NJ – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  
• June 14: ManKave Health Summit, FDU, Dickinson Hall, Hackensack, NJ – 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

There are four in-person ballpark events set for June, which is Men’s Health Month. Fans for the Cure will also be providing health education handouts and players’ awareness wristbands for all teams in the Appalachian League. 

Here is the June schedule of educational tables and screenings at the ballparks:

• June 11 – Yankees at Royals (7:40 p.m. CDT)
• June 15 (Father’s Day) – Toronto Blue Jays at Philadelphia Phillies (1:35 p.m. EDT)
• June 29 – South Bend Cubs at Cedar Rapids Kernels (1:05 p.m. CDT)
• June 30 – Kansas City Royals at Seattle Mariners (6:40 p.m. PDT)

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 29 at 7 PM ET – with Dr. Matthew Ferroni –  Register for the Men's Support Group meeting. 
• Thursday, June 12 at 7 PM ET

Women's Support Group

• Tuesday, June 3 at 8 PM ET – Register for the Women's Support Group meeting.
• Tuesday, June 17 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 and highly regarded regional hospitals. 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. How is metastatic prostate cancer detected and treated in men over 70? – Published by Harvard Medical School
2. VIDEO: Dr. Daniel Petrylak on The Lead with Jake Tapper – A longtime friend and supporter of Fans for the Cure, Dr. Petrylak is on our Medical Advisory Board.
3. Robotic Versus Open Radical Prostatectomy – At 12 years after surgery, prostate cancer-specific mortality was significantly lower in patients undergoing robotic prostatectomy than in those undergoing open prostatectomy.
4. Prostate Cancer Screenings, Active Surveillance, and Treatment with Dr. Michael Leapman – Published by Yale School of Medicine.
5. Navigating the Landscape of PSMA PET Imaging Agents in Prostate Cancer

As the uncertainty facing nonprofits continues, we are asking those who can to step up and donate today. Together, we can be the help the men in our lives need.

Call us: 888-301-4414