It has been said that there is more research going on today then there was ten years ago, but that does not mean that it is enough. Much of our prostate cancer treatments have actually come out breast cancer research.

Funding for prostate cancer is out of whack and so out available treatments remain very limited.

Much of this situation is the result of our own lack of being involved, we have only ourselves to blame. We don’t seem to be able to get together and accomplish the goals of getting adequate recognition and funding for research. Men who have prostate cancer often hide it.

People who have not been educated about prostate cancer (the large majority) think of it as a not dangerous illness with very little impact on people’s life. Yet, 28,000 of us will die this year from prostate cancer and a large percentage of us who elect to have treatment will end up impotent, incontinent, with hot flashes and memory loss.

Our advocate community can not seem to stop competing with each other and focus on the real task. Many of us are and have been successful business people, program directors, politicians and professionals. Would we allow our business, municipality or professional practice not function the way we allow our advocacy not to function?

We need to stand up and let our voice and concerns finally be heard. We should not accept the status quo as acceptable.

Start now and go to www.prostatecancerpetition.org, but don’t let that be your only contribution. Contact your congressperson and senators on a regular basis. Let them know that we are hurting and need their support. When they fail to support research funding for prostate cancer or treatments we will fail to support them. Unless they hear this they will just continue on their merry way and fail to help us beat this terrible beast.

Joel T Nowak MA, MSW