A year after diagnosis, thousands have been reached by a voice

Santa Monica, CA, March 29, 2011 —– Dan Zenka, a patient with Stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer, remembers vivid details of his urologist delivering the news that he had potentially aggressive prostate cancer. While it is a scene that is played out more than 218,000 times each year across the country, Zenka was struck with the irony of his diagnosis. As senior vice president of communications at the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF), the communicator crossed the line as a professional and became part of the subject matter as a patient.

“My mind was reeling, but not from the shock of my diagnosis,” says Zenka. “Working at PCF made me well aware that one out of six American men are diagnosed with prostate cancer and that I was not immune to the possibility of someday receiving my own diagnosis. But, I knew I had a moral imperative to use my cancer to reach out to others and stimulate discussion. It was time to talk the talk. To shut down and keep this to myself would have been hypocritical.”

Men often avoid talking about prostate cancer out of embarrassment and are reluctant to discuss diseases that strike below the belt. In his position at PCF, Zenka had spent the previous two years pushing a message that men and their families need to make prostate cancer something to talk about—to raise both awareness and understanding of a disease that is projected to kill more than 32,000 American men this year.

Within a few days of Zenka’s diagnosis, his cancer blog, www.mynewyorkminute.org, was launched. To date, the blog has attracted more than 25,000 visitors. He has written more than 120 posts and met hundreds of prostate cancer patients and their families from around the world through his blog. While the online forum helps its readers by providing unique perspectives from a patient who also works at the world’s leading accelerator of scientific research for prostate cancer, Zenka says it also supports his journey.

“Biology may have given me cancer, but my professional training gave me a voice,” explains Zenka. “Sharing that voice has given purpose to my reality and tremendous comfort to me and my family.”

Since his diagnosis in April 2010, Zenka had his prostate and some lower lymph nodes removed. His cancer was upgraded to Stage 4 when single Gleason 5 cancer cells were discovered in his lymph nodes. He subsequently underwent seven weeks of radiation therapy and is currently receiving a three-year course of hormone deprivation therapy. His odds of being cured are 40 percent.

As the first anniversary of Zenka’s diagnosis approaches, he is working on a blog post to mark the occasion. Described as a tribute to prostates everywhere, it will carry the same mix of direct dialogue and touches of humor that readers have come to expect. Why a tribute at this time? As he puts it, “You don’t really appreciate what you have until it’s gone.”

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About the Prostate Cancer Foundation

The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) is the world’s leading philanthropic organization funding and accelerating research. Founded in 1993, PCF has raised more than $475 million and provided funding to over 1,600 research projects at nearly 200 institutions in 15 countries around the world. PCF advocates for greater awareness of prostate cancer and more efficient investment of governmental research funds supporting transformational cancer research. Our efforts have helped produce a 20-fold increase in government funding for prostate cancer. More information about PCF can be found at pcf.org.

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