Atlanta Hawks Foundation seeks to raise cancer awareness during Black History Month

ATLANTA - Going to the doctor and talking about health can be tricky when it comes to men and that’s why the Atlanta Hawks Foundation is working to change the stigma.

This year the foundation is using Black History Month to raise awareness of prostate cancer, specifically within the African American community.

Statiscally, 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.

Organizers said awareness helps to avoid a late diagnosis.

"We view ourselves as an asset to the community," Atlanta Hawks Foundation Executive Director David Lee said.

The Atlanta Hawks Foundation is more than just basketball as they aim to impact the community.

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For the third year in a row the foundation teamed up with the Prostate Cancer Foundation to raise awareness in the African-American community.

"Eighty percent of our players are of African descent, fourty seven [percent] of our TV audiences are African American and our ticket base is 43 percent," Lee said.

If caught and treated early prostate cancer has a 99 percent survival rate but African American men are disproportionately affected.

"African American men are 76 percent higher risk in having diagnosis of prostate cancer. When we talk about outcomes we know African American men are 2.2 time’s likely to die," Dr. Bradley Carthon of the Emory Winship Cancer Institute said.

"Men suffer in silence and don’t discuss health status or what’s going on with them, we don’t" Lee said.

It’s no secret that men don’t usually like to talk about their health or visit a doctor’s office. Health experts said by the time a man is 50-years-old they should start having prostate exams.

It should be as early as 40-year-old, if there’s an increased risk within their family history.

"It’s a simple blood test. I can tell if there may be something going on," Dr. Carthon said.

It’s not just on the men as everyone has a part in this. Health officials said family members should make sure your loved ones are taking care of themselves.  

"When spouses, when daughters and family members are able to talk to men some of the barriers are able to be overcome," Carthon said.

Health experts said cancer is not a death sentence and that’s why the foundation’s goal is to educate and inform.

"If you don’t know you can’t fight. If you don’t know what you’re fighting then it’s difficult to understand what follow up you should achieve," Lee said.

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