Free prostate cancer screenings Sunday in Boardman

Staff report

BOARDMAN

Humility of Mary Health Partners will provide 100 free prostate-specific antigen blood draws to check for prostate cancer during the Fuel the Fight car and motorcycle show Sunday at Boardman High School.

The free PSA screenings will be available first come, first served during the show, which runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the high school student parking lot, 7777 Glenwood Ave.

Fuel the Fight, sponsored by the HMHP Foundation and Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC, benefits Man Up Mahoning Valley, which provides education about prostate cancer along with free prostate-cancer screenings to men throughout the Mahoning Valley. This is the first time the free screenings will be available during the show.

In addition to the PSA tests, it is recommended that men also receive annual digital rectal exams, which are available from their primary-care physicians.

“Any man 40 years old or older should be screened, and a lot of these guys come out to see the cars and bikes. So, it makes sense to do the screenings there – it takes just a minute and is virtually painless,” said Jonathon Fauvie, special events/prospect manager at the HMHP Foundation.

“Regular cancer screenings won’t prevent a man from developing prostate cancer, but they do help us diagnose them early, and early-detection is the key to having good outcomes,” said Angela Ritz, cancer community liaison at St. Elizabeth Health Center.