Assiniboia Town Council declared the month of September “Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.” Mayor Bob Himbeault stated that this was the first time that Council made such a declaration after discussing a recent request at its August meeting. The Council issued a proclamation as well as took part in a symbolic gesture of support. Blue is the symbolic colour of the prostate awareness campaign and to show solidarity the Town hung blue lights around the gazebo in Central Park on Centre Street. Peavey Mart in Assiniboia donated the string of blue lights.
The proclamation reads: “Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, September 2017. Whereas, prostate cancer is the most common cancer to affect Canadian men; and whereas, 1 in 7 will be diagnosed with the disease in his lifetime; and whereas, an estimated 23,100 Canadian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year; and whereas, the survival rate for prostate cancer can be over 90 per cent when detected early; and whereas, those with a family history of the disease, or those of African or Caribbean descent, are at a greater risk of developing prostate cancer; and whereas, Prostate Cancer Canada recommends that men get a PSA test in their 40s to establish their baseline; therefore, I, Mayor Bob Himbeault of the Town of Assiniboia, do hereby proclaim September 2017 as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in Assiniboia.”
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer to affect Canadian men. This disease occurs when some prostate cells loose normal control of growth and division and stop functioning as healthy cells. The cancerous prostate cell is characterized by uncontrolled growth and abnormal structure and it’s capable of moving to other parts of the body.
