Each year, a group of prostate cancer survivors gathers for a group photo at the Cruisin’ for a Cure car show. My father and grandfather are among them.
On Saturday, they and many other men will wear light blue “Survivor” T-shirts and spend the day giving straight talk to other men about the disease.
Show founder Debbie Baker has one goal: to make fundraising efforts for prostate cancer just as common as those for breast cancer.
She’s run Cruisin’ for a Cure for 10 years now. The show offers free blood testing on-site to detect prostate cancer. Baker [no relation] wants to make free prostate cancer blood testing as abundant as the thousands of cars on display at her show.
“We’re the nation’s largest one-day charity car event,” Baker said.
More than 3,500 cars are expected to converge on the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa this weekend, along with 15,000 spectators. The event features a daylong car cruise, more than 250 vendors, food, entertainment and endless viewing opportunities. No appointment is needed for blood testing.
Anybody is welcome to drive into Gate 4 and register their car starting at 4:30 a.m. Saturday. All vehicle years and makes are welcome; owners of different makes tend to congregate together, Baker said, like Mini Coopers, hot rods and trucks.
The day’s opening ceremonies at 9 a.m. are popular, and offer a Marine Corps color guard, country singer Casey Simpson performing the National Anthem, a parade of fire trucks and a 60-foot flag.
Other Cruisin’ for a Cure events are now held across North America, including in Canada, Long Island, Texas and Utah.
A personal test
But, for Baker, this year’s show has a melancholic tinge. In March, her husband died of prostate cancer after a 12-year battle.
Her loss has made Baker all the more fervent about ensuring that men get tested. Health organizations now are lowering the recommended age of first testing from 50 to 40, Baker said.
“I think any man over 40 should be tested,” my father, Tom Baker, said. “It’s just a quick blood test, and unlike going to a doctor, the test is free. You do not need an appointment, and then you can go on to see the show.”
