Friday, December 21, 2018
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Neighbors | Jessica Harker .President of Man Up Mahoning Valley Paul Homick and event organizer and cancer survivor Steve Burbrink spoke to students at Austintown High School's first Shave Off event on Nov. 29.
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Neighbors | Jessica Harker .School resource officers at Austintown Fitch High School participated in the school's first Shave Off event to raise awareness for prostate cancer in the Valley.
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Neighbors | Jessica Harker .Phil Pillin, a cancer survivor and member of Man Up Mahoning Valley, participated in the Shave Off event at Austintown High School on Nov. 29 where barbers from Excalibur Barbers shaved 27 men to bring awareness to prostate cancer.
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Neighbors | Jessica Harker .Twenty-seven men volunteered to have their facial hair shaved on Nov. 29 at Austintown Fitch's cafeteria for the school's first Shave Off event, organized by Man Up Mahoning Valley, an organization that raises awareness for prostate cancer.
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Neighbors | Jessica Harker .Excalibur Barbers in Warren traveled to Austintown High School where they shaved 27 men including cancer survivor Phil Pillin to raise awareness for prostate cancer in the Mahoning Valley.
By JESSICA HARKER
Austintown Fitch High School hosted its first shave-off event on Nov. 29 to raise awareness for prostate cancer in the Mahoning Valley.
Steve Burbrink, a school employee and a prostate cancer survivor organized the event.
Burbrink is a member of the Man Up Mahoning County group, which usually hosts the event at the East Wood Mall, but this year moved it to the high school.
“We’re hoping this event will inspire students to talk with their parents and other family members about the importance of age-appropriate cancer screenings,” Burbrink said.
During the event, 27 members of the Austintown community, including principals, police officers and even students, shaved off the facial hair they’d grown throughout the month of November.
Even cancer survivors, including Burbrink and Phil Pillin, came to the school to participate in the event.
“When you see someone who is usually clean shaven with facial hair people ask questions,” Burbrink said. “That’s an opportunity to have a conversation and raise awareness about prostate cancer and the importance of routine screenings.”
Excalibur Barber Grooming Lounge in Boardman set up four chairs in the Fitch cafeteria where men were given a clean professional shave during all three lunch periods.
Burbrink said that the goal of the event was two-fold - to raise awareness for prostate cancer and to raise money for free screenings for men in the Mahoning Valley.
Man Up Mahoning Valley helps, through their partnership with Mercy Health, to provide free screenings for men in the Valley.
Laura Boomhower, manager and oncology liaison at Mercy Health, said that the number of men in Mahoning Valley who are diagnosed with prostate cancer is higher than the national average.
“Other than lung cancer prostate cancer is the number one killer of men in the Valley,” Boomhower said.
Last year the organization was able to provide six separate screening events for local men.
She said that screenings are key because if caught early prostate cancer is 99 percent treatable.
“If prostate cancer is diagnosed early, the better the outcome,” Boomhower said. “The problem is that men wait until they have symptoms to get checked.”
Men older than the age of 50 should be tested regularly, starting even younger if prostate cancer runs in their family.
During the six screenings hosted last year, 396 men were screened with 35 being identified for a follow up.
Man Up provides screenings at a number of events across the Valley, including Mercy Health Day, the African American Male Wellness Walk and a number of others.