LOS ANGELES, Calif.–Major Los Angeles-area landmarks–including City Hall, the Capitol Records building and the pylons at LAX–will be “turning blue” this week to raise awareness of prostate cancer.
The disease is a major American health problem that has long been misunderstood and insufficiently discussed by men and their families, according to the Los Angeles-based Prostate Cancer Foundation.
“Prostate cancer is to men what breast cancer is to women, yet open dialogue of the disease lags behind other cancers,” said Dan Zenka, the PCF’s senior vice president of communication, who ironically was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer two years after he began working at the foundation.
This year, more than 240,000 new cases of prostate cancer are projected to be diagnosed in the United States and more than 33,000 American will die as a result, according to the PCF.
Worldwide, more than 16 million men and their families are challenged by prostate cancer, the foundation reported.
The September campaign is a partnership between PCF and Blue September, an organization designed to educate American men about prostate cancer and encourage routine screenings. The PCF is the beneficiary organization of the Blue September California campaign. All dollars raised for PCF will fund advanced prostate cancer research.
“As the world’s largest private funder of prostate cancer research, we are compelled to educate our Los Angeles neighbors on a disease that currently affects more than 2 million American men and their families,” said Dr. Jonathan W. Simons, the foundation’s president and chief executive officer.
“With Los Angeles turning blue, we are prompting conversations that could save a man’s life.”
Locations “turning blue” on various days this week include:
- Capitol Records
- Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows Santa Monica
- Los Angeles City Hall
- Pylons at LAX
- Ferris wheel at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier
- Hollywood Roosevelt hotel
- 5900 Wilshire building
- 2nd and 4th Streets in downtown Santa Monica
“There is still time to go blue. It is our hope that as other building owners hear about this effort, they too will join the campaign and support this important cause,” Zenka said.
Additional opportunities for Los Angeles partners to join the campaign can be found at www.blueallover.org.
