Sky Tower Goes Blue For Prostate Cancer

MEDIA RELEASE
31 August 2010

Sky Tower Goes Blue For Prostate Cancer

Auckland’s iconic landmark, the Sky Tower, will be bathed in blue light tonight and for the rest of September to launch the beginning of the Prostate Cancer Foundation’s annual awareness campaign, Blue September.

SKYCITY is a proud supporter of Blue September and uses the tower as a beacon for the charity to raise awareness throughout the month. SKYCITY will also be hosting the launch event for the Foundation tonight (31 August) and will be holding the second annual SKYCITY Blue September Challenge of the Codes poker tournament with players from the Vodafone Warriors and Auckland Rugby team on Thursday 9 September.

Blue September:

Each year, over 2,500 men in New Zealand are diagnosed with prostate cancer. A further 600 will die from the disease. Prostate Cancer is a preventable disease. It is estimated that on average at least half of those annual deaths could have been avoided had the sufferer sought advice from a health professional in a timely manner.

Prostate cancer can be cured if detected and treated early while still confined to the prostate gland. The tests for prostate cancer are the prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test and the digital rectal examination (DRE). These tests do not give a conclusive diagnosis of cancer but can indicate the presence of prostate cancer. While prostate cancer is most common in men over the age of 50, younger men with a history of prostate cancer in their family are at greater risk.

For more information and to make a donation to help fight this disease that is taking the lives of hundreds of fathers, brothers and sons see www.blueseptember.org

ENDS