2012 Cruisin' for a Cure Media Coverage

[SteveH]

This fight is personal. Brampton resident Jim Dorsey, 68, seen here with a hot rod emblazoned with the Cruisin' For A Cure Canada fundraiser logo.
This year's event, which includes a car show and free PSA testing will take place Sunday, Sept. 9 at the Powerade Centre from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Supplied photo

Rab McLarnon, 60, admits it was the car show and not the cause that drew him to Cruisin’ For A Cure Canada fundraiser initially.
The Brampton man also frequented the event to support his long-time friend Jim Dorsey who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1999.
So, six years ago, at Dorsey’s insistence McLarnon undertook a free Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test at the fundraiser.
Weeks later, when the Brampton man received a phone call from his doctor’s office asking to discuss the results, McLarnon assumed the worst. Luckily, the result showed an enlarged prostate and not evidence of cancer. The test was however a wake-up call for the resident who now not only shares his story with other men, but has taken to steering them towards the PSA testing tent at the Cruisin’ For A Cure Canada event.
The 6th Cruisin’ For A Cure Canada event by Prostate Cancer Canada will take place Sunday, Sept. 9 at the Powerade Centre located at 7575 Kennedy Rd. S. from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“When I initially started going (to the fundraiser), I never thought of getting tested,” McLarnon said. “I did not relate to prostate cancer. But, boy, I am glad I decided to get tested. Men are stubborn and think it (cancer) will happen to someone else. When I preach to the men about the importance of the PSA test, they take me seriously because I am not some actor on television paid to do so.”
Meaghan Sloski, a daughter of a Brampton man who’s undergoing treatment and Dr. Richard Casey, a noted urologist from Oakville, are the guest speakers.
Last year, some 274 men got free PSA tests done. The tests are not covered by Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP).
For many, the simple blood test has made a difference between life and death, said Dorsey, who himself was diagnosed in 1999 and was declared “cancer free” this March.
Dorsey introduced the event in Brampton in 2006. This year there will be at least 400 cars taking part in the show with the Mississauga chapter of Pink Slips Car Club playing a lead role.
“No one should go through what I did, said Dorsey, the coordinator for Cruisin’ For A Cure Canada. “There was no early diagnosis for me. It was almost too late because my doctor did not believe in screening for prostate cancer. The problem is a lot of general practitioners don’t believe in screening.”
Early detection is critical. Even though the PSA test is not perfect, it’s an important first step in detecting prostate cancer. Dorsey believes had his doctor ordered a PSA test, his cancer treatment would have been less aggressive.
For McLarnon raising awareness has become so important that he has travelled to New England and California to educate men at the Cruisin’ For A Cure events held there.
For more information www.cruisinforacurecanada.com.