Prostate cancer scares men silly. The C-word is bad enough, but what really freaks us out is the worry that the cure might leave us impotent. Faced with death, the concern about sex should be insignificant, but we men live at the level of our lizard brains. Which also means that many of us like hot rods.
The two come together this year for the 12th time at Cowtown Cruisin" for a Cure, a classic, antique and hot rod car show at Main and Houston streets in downtown Fort Worth. This year's event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sept. 21.
"Many believe that our main objective is to hold a great car show," says Terry Mann, president of Cowtown Cruisin" for a Cure. But it's not really about cars. It is about raising awareness of a killer disease and about early detection. "Our main goal is to save men's lives."
Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth provides mobile testing facilities and trained medical personnel for free and confidential screening for all men over the age of 40. The exam takes about 15 minutes and includes a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test and a more intimate form of examination. It takes about 15 minutes.
Last year, nearly 20 percent of the men screened during the car show were later notified confidentially that they should seek further medical assessment, Mann said. "Each year we know that we have saved lives," he says. "If detected early, the chances for successful treatment are excellent."
The organization donates money raised through sponsorships and from fees paid by car exhibitors to research and treatment at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth and the University of North Texas Health Science Center.
The American Cancer Society predicts that about 238,590 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed this year and that about 29,720 men will die. Those statistics are comparable to breast cancer in women with about 232,340 new cases of invasive breast cancer predicted in 2013 and about 39,620 deaths.
Local retailer Goetz founded Cowtown Cruisin" for a Cure in 2002 after he was diagnosed with and treated for prostate cancer. He now serves as chairman of the organization.
"Everybody knows who Susan Komen is," he said. "Nobody talks about prostate cancer. So I thought, I'll just figure out a way to make it happen. What's the attraction for men? It's cars. That's when we did our first car show."
About one man in six will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. Those statistics are worse than breast cancer where about one in eight women will be diagnosed over their lifetimes.
Goetz could see it in his mind. "I went down, probably in the beginning of "02 and stood on the corner of Main Street and 3rd and visualized this whole thing taking place. I could see cars. I didn't know who the hospital was going to be, but I knew we'd have a hospital generating testing for men," he said. He could see the popularity growing and a beehive of activity.
Goetz wasn't getting regular physicals. "You know how stupid men are," he said. "But I was feeling fine." An insurance exam picked up the symptoms. "That's when the journey started," he says. "If I had not done that exam, I would be dead, because by the time you get symptoms, you are dead."
It is a free, fun event, but it also is serious business
