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Hampton, Va. – NFL Hall of Famer Bruce Smith joined other former NFL athletes who used their voices to support men’s health on Saturday.
The discussion and panel was part of the Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute’s (HUPTI) first Prostate Cancer and Men’s Health Awareness Fair.
“I’m 59 years old and I’ve been diagnosed,” Smith told the packed room.
The show brought in many vendors to talk to the men who came out about living a healthy lifestyle. HUPTI offered dozens of Saba prostate exams shortly after the doors opened at 9am.
The NFL Athletes Panel started at 10.
“I think lending our voice will help increase the desire for men, especially African Americans, to take ownership of their health,” Smith told News 3.
Organizer Tiffany Rogers says bringing in professional athletes to share their stories was crucial to the event, which has become more popular than expected.
“They want to break down these walls where we don’t talk and we’re afraid to go to the doctor. We can’t do that. We have to go to the doctor, we have to get tested, and we have to stick with it,” said Rogers, HUPTI’s marketing director.
According to the Hampton Roads Prostate Health Forum, one in eight men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime, and black men are twice as likely to die from low-grade cases as other races.
The forum recommends that black men and other men considered to be at high risk for prostate cancer begin annual screening at age 40.
Rogers said she plans to hold an annual Men’s Health Awareness Fair every September.
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