There are new visitors cruising into town for this year’s Rainmaker Rodeo, and they want to check some prostates.
But fear not — there is no snapping of the glove, squeaking bottle of lubricant or dropping of drawers for this health exam.
All the MAN VAN needs to screen for prostate cancer is a vial of blood.
“It's just a very, very simple blood sample … and they normally get the results back to you within 24 to 48 hours,” said Ian Stephens, deputy governor for the Kinsmen district 4, zone G, which manages Rainmaker.
The MAN VAN is a mobile men’s health clinic and project of Calgary’s Prostate Cancer Centre. Through the van, the Prostate Cancer Centre offers prostate specific antigen blood testing used for early detection of prostate cancer. It is completely free to get checked.
Rainmaker is the perfect place for the MAN VAN, Stephens said.
“Men are very reluctant to get help and care for themselves,” Stephens said. “When the MAN VAN comes out into the community, especially at a family event like the Rainmaker Rodeo, it is often the wives and the children that encourage the husband to have the testing done.”
That was the case for Stephens when he first encountered the van at a St. Albert business event. Because that event could no longer afford the van, Stephens championed bringing the van to Rainmaker.
“This is being done as a service for the community,” he said. “Quite often, the community are very vocal on their greatest needs. When it comes to prostate cancer, people are less likely to talk about it.”
St. Albert Kinsmen has committed to bringing the MAN VAN to Rainmaker for the next three years. The hope is that visitors will get checked every year and make conversations around prostate health routine.
Men will often wait until symptoms appear before they see a doctor and get a prostate exam, Stephens said.
“The problem is, the cancer at that stage is often far too late to do anything with,” he said. “Whereas a simple quick five-minute blood test can actually give early warning signs and treatments to be recommended if needed.”
The MAN VAN will be stationed in the family area near the rodeo grounds. Depending on the weather, the Prostate Cancer Centre may use a tent for the service instead of the van.
“We've also got a beer garden right next door if men need to lie down and recover from having a little test,” Stephens said.
For more information about the MAN VAN and prostate health, visit the Prostate Cancer Centre’s website at https://www.prostatecancercentre.ca.
