Prostate Cancer

Submitted by Anne Milo and Jayce Yamagishi ORANGE COUNTY – September is National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Prostate testing is critical to men, especially those over the age of 50. CareMore Health Plan, one of the leading Medicare Advantage health plans for seniors, specializes in providing complete, pro-active health care for senior Americans is encouraging men to get tested regularly.   A simple blood test called the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test may pinpoint prostate cancer.

COSTA MESA - First with trimmers, then lather and a razor, members of Costa Mesa's "Team Nuclear" celebrated a month of growing facial hair for charity this week with a clean shave. "When my wife didn't kiss me for 30 days … OK, I have to shave this thing off," Team Nuclear founder John Cornuke said. "It's so liberating. (The mustache is) just so uncomfortable, (but) it's a constant reminder of why you're doing it. " But in that temporary inconvenience there was a segue to talk about a subject guys are far too often uncomfortable to broach: health.

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.

UC Irvine has received $9.5 million in research money from the National Cancer Institute to develop a method for predicting the outcome of prostate cancer. The five-year grant, one of six that the institute gave out this year nationwide, is among the 10 largest research grants in UCI's history. Dan Mercola, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at UCI's School of Medicine, will spearhead the project, which will also involve researchers from UC San Diego, Northwestern University, the Scripps Research Institute and others.

Tony Horvath, a Newport Harbor High alumnus who was on the Sailors' 1970 league championship football team, has been battling cancer since April. He endured chemotherapy from prostate cancer. He also recently went through brain surgery to have a benign tumor removed and has since been recovering. Horvath was featured in the Daily Pilot in April, as he and his friend, Randy Hamilton, are producing a documentary on the 1970 Sailors' football team, which won Newport Harbor's first league title in 28 years.

Send AROUND TOWN items to the Daily Pilot, 330 W. Bay St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627; by e-mail to jeff.benson@latimes.com; by fax to (949) 646-4170; or by calling (949) 574-4298. Include the time, date and location of the event, as well as a contact phone number. TODAY The fifth annual "Cruisin' for a Cure" hot rod show and fundraiser for prostate cancer is held from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Orange County Fair and Exposition Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa.

TODAY WHAT: The fifth annual "Cruisin' for a Cure" hotrod show and fundraiser for prostate cancer. WHEN: From 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. WHERE: The Orange County Fair and Exposition Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. INFORMATION: At least 3,100 classic cars will be displayed, and men 40 and older can receive a free prostate cancer screening. In addition, the event features a Herman Munster look-alike and the original Munster Coach from the 1960s TV show "The Munsters."

I was really not very aware of cancer's reach until a friend contracted prostate cancer about 20 years ago. Soon after that, another friend was diagnosed with the same illness and, shortly thereafter, I awoke from a colonoscopy to learn that I had cancer. A year of chemotherapy followed that — along with family love, the care of a superb oncologist, Louis Vandermolen, a support group at Hoag Hospital, and a strong will to survive — completely cured me. All was well for 10 years until I received another grim diagnosis: prostate cancer of a quite virulent type.

Obituary for Jeff Chandler January 18, 1942-April 15, 2012 Jeff Chandler passed away peacefully on April 15, 2012, at his home in Rancho Santa Fe, California, surrounded by his family. He was first diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer in 1998 and had a recurrence in 2007. He waged an amazing battle against the disease, never complaining and keeping his positive attitude to the very end. Jeff thoroughly researched prostate cancer and continued to search for new treatments both in this country and abroad.

When it comes to breast cancer, losing a breast or two and facing deep psychological challenges while going through aggressive treatments that impact your life emotionally, physically and sexually, one goes through a tough, long-lasting journey that will change your life and will drive you to learn about this disease. It can be overcome the first time, there are cases of recurrence and cases where a new cancer arises some time after treatment. While breast cancer treatment and procedures might seem the same, every breast cancer case is unique and every person reacts to treatment differently.

Obituary for Jeff Chandler January 18, 1942-April 15, 2012 Jeff Chandler passed away peacefully on April 15, 2012, at his home in Rancho Santa Fe, California, surrounded by his family. He was first diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer in 1998 and had a recurrence in 2007. He waged an amazing battle against the disease, never complaining and keeping his positive attitude to the very end. Jeff thoroughly researched prostate cancer and continued to search for new treatments both in this country and abroad.

COSTA MESA - First with trimmers, then lather and a razor, members of Costa Mesa's "Team Nuclear" celebrated a month of growing facial hair for charity this week with a clean shave. "When my wife didn't kiss me for 30 days … OK, I have to shave this thing off," Team Nuclear founder John Cornuke said. "It's so liberating. (The mustache is) just so uncomfortable, (but) it's a constant reminder of why you're doing it. " But in that temporary inconvenience there was a segue to talk about a subject guys are far too often uncomfortable to broach: health.

Tony Horvath, a Newport Harbor High alumnus who was on the Sailors' 1970 league championship football team, has been battling cancer since April. He endured chemotherapy from prostate cancer. He also recently went through brain surgery to have a benign tumor removed and has since been recovering. Horvath was featured in the Daily Pilot in April, as he and his friend, Randy Hamilton, are producing a documentary on the 1970 Sailors' football team, which won Newport Harbor's first league title in 28 years.

COSTA MESA - What's your preference: handlebar or Fu Manchu? Pencil thin or thick like Tom Selleck's? Come November, one or more of these facial hair styles might slowly emerge onto the once clean-shaven mugs of your local policymakers. As part of a nationwide effort to "change the face of men's health," Costa Mesa councilmen and planning commissioners are participating next month in Movember, a fundraising campaign sponsored by Livestrong and the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

I was really not very aware of cancer's reach until a friend contracted prostate cancer about 20 years ago. Soon after that, another friend was diagnosed with the same illness and, shortly thereafter, I awoke from a colonoscopy to learn that I had cancer. A year of chemotherapy followed that — along with family love, the care of a superb oncologist, Louis Vandermolen, a support group at Hoag Hospital, and a strong will to survive — completely cured me. All was well for 10 years until I received another grim diagnosis: prostate cancer of a quite virulent type.

NEWPORT BEACH — The city plans to take a local shipwright to court in hopes of forcing him to remove the 72-foot antique sailing ship in his backyard, officials said Wednesday. "It is an inappropriate use in a residential neighborhood," City Attorney David Hunt said. "The city has tried to work with him to get the matter resolved, but he hasn't resolved it, so we will take the next step to protect the residents of the neighborhood. " Resident Dennis Holland, 65, rescued the Shawnee, a 1916-built ketch, from the scrap yard in 2006.

Each September she's a familiar sight at the Orange County Fairgrounds, whizzing by in a golf cart saturated in patriotic bling, while inspecting men's arms for a telltale bandage or cotton ball. For Orange County resident and Cruisin' for a Cure founder Debbie Baker, the annual (and wildly popular) car show serves two purposes: entertainment and prevention. Her mission is to ensure that every man of "a certain age" who attends the event is tested for prostate cancer — via a simple, free blood test; not the probing digital test that most men abhor.

If your son, daughter or spouse got cancer, you would do everything in your power to beat the disease. But what about your dog or cat? What about your hamster? In February, I wrote about our cat, Kisa, and a lump that appeared on her back. The discussion was about the dedication we should have to our pets in their time of need. Kisa had minor surgery to remove the lump, which was benign. But what if it had been malignant? What if we were faced with spending thousands of dollars that would otherwise have gone to a college fund?

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.

Submitted by Anne Milo and Jayce Yamagishi ORANGE COUNTY – September is National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Prostate testing is critical to men, especially those over the age of 50. CareMore Health Plan, one of the leading Medicare Advantage health plans for seniors, specializes in providing complete, pro-active health care for senior Americans is encouraging men to get tested regularly.   A simple blood test called the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test may pinpoint prostate cancer.