CHARLESTON, W.Va.--For Pamela Hines Blue, losing her husband to prostate cancer was devastating -- and frustrating.
Her husband, former Kanawha County Manager Dan Blue, 60, died in May after battling the disease for nearly 8 years.
He worked 11 years for the county, as deputy county manager, county manager and then as a consultant after his retirement in 2003. He was also an accountant.
Now, his wife wants other men to know and understand the risks of prostate cancer and to get screened earlier.
"My husband's prostate cancer diagnosis was missed during the early stage," Hines Blue said. "Finally, after he was diagnosed, the treatment wasn't what he needed totally.
"That's why we're working really hard on getting information out there."
The West Virginia Prostate Coalition, an arm of the National Alliance of State Prostate Cancer Coalitions (NASPCC), recently decided to change its name to the Dan Blue Prostate Cancer Foundation, in Blue's honor.
The foundation came about mostly out of frustration, said Hines Blue, who serves as president of the organization.
After trying to get information about the disease from the U.S. Public Health Service and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, and then being referred to other local cancer groups -- some affiliated with the American Cancer Society -, she was left unsatisfied.
"I just thought they really needed to reevaluate their guidelines," Hines Blue said.
That's when someone suggested she contact the national alliance, which helps set up branches within states.
"Our primary focus is to get information out to men here in West Virginia," Hines Blue said.
This week, the Prostate Conditions Education Council is organizing hundreds of free screenings for men across the country as part of Prostate Cancer Awareness Week.
September also has been designated as National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.
Prostate cancer develops when abnormal cell growth occurs in the prostate gland. The gland is located inside the body at the base of the penis.
An estimated 300,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year. Close to 30,000 will lose their life to the disease due to lack of screening and early detection.
Recent medical articles have suggested young men -- ages 35 to 44 -- suffer from more aggressive prostate cancers, hence the need for early testing.
"Overall, young men with prostate cancer do quite well, although the young men that have more advanced prostate cancers did substantially worse than old men with similar forms of the disease," said Dr. Daniel W. Lin, lead author of a report in the July 1 issue of Cancer.
"Among men with high-grade and high-stage prostate cancers, younger men are approximately three times more likely to die of prostate cancer than all other groups."
Hines Blue said screenings and early detection are key.
"When they know and see the information for themselves (about the cancer), they'll want to be screened," she said.
Screenings are available locally at the following locations:
--The Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center, a part of Cabell Huntington Hospital and Marshall's Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, offers prostate cancer screenings and free screenings, on occasion.
For an appointment, call 304-526-2379.
--The West Virginia Health Right, Inc., in Charleston also offers free screenings for its patients. Screenings are done daily and by appointment. Call 304-343-7000 for more information.
The Health Right provides free medical, dental, health education and pharmacy services to the uninsured.
--CAMC's Prostate Cancer Center also offers screenings.
Those who qualify must be newly diagnosed or already have been diagnosed. Also, those with an elevated PSA, or prostate specific antigen, and physician or self-referrals with questions about prostate cancer can qualify.
An initial evaluation can be arranged within three days, according to CAMC's Web site.
For more information or to make an appointment, call 304-342-9900 or visit http://camc.org/prostatecenter/.
Hines Blue said her goal in working with the foundation is to help prevent other men from suffering like her husband did.
"It's been such a heartache," she said. "I don't want men to go through what my husband went through. After eight years of treatment, it really affected his quality of life.
"I don't think people realize how it affects men, not only the physical part, but mentally."
Hines Blue said the foundation currently is looking for volunteers, board members and partnerships.
She plans to lobby local companies to set up corporate screenings.
She also would like to see the foundation become more involved in the community -hopefully increasing awareness of the disease.
"We don't have races or walks or anything like that set up yet," Hines Blue said. "But it's something I'd like to see done. Anything to get the word out there. Right now, we're just trying to do anything we can to get the word out."
She said the foundation's Web site is currently in development, but those interested in volunteering or serving on the foundation's board can contact her at pamelahinesb...@aol.com or 304-419-4109.
The foundation is a 501 (C)3 non-profit organization. Donations are welcome. They can be sent to P.O. Box 18151, South Charleston, WV 25303.
For more information about prostate cancer, visit www.naspcc.org.
Contact writer Jessica M. Karmasek at jessica@dailymail.com or 304-348-4817. To see more of the Charleston Daily Mail, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dailymail.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Charleston Daily Mail, W.Va. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
Copyright (C) 2009, Charleston Daily Mail, W.Va.