Press Releases
ATLANTA – March 10, 2010 – One of the Original Kings of Comedy, #1 New York Times Best Selling Author for Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man, and host of the #1 nationally syndicated morning radio show, Steve Harvey has joined the American Cancer Society to help create a world with less cancer and more birthdays (www.morebirthdays.com). Harvey is serving as the American Cancer Society spokesperson for colon cancer awareness, encouraging men and women 50 and over to get tested for colon cancer.
“I am very happy to be a part of the American Cancer Society’s movement for more birthdays,” said Harvey. “I know people who have been affected by colon cancer, and I want to do my part in raising awareness that this disease is preventable, and that testing can save lives.”
Harvey, 53, underwent a colonoscopy at the Emory Clinic in Atlanta during the last year to check for polyps that could be cancerous, and had his experience documented in a video diary for the American Cancer Society. The video, ‘All Jokes Aside,’ is available on the American Cancer Society YouTube Channel at http://tinyurl.com/oh3syq.
“I too was afraid to get tested and made every excuse in the book not to, but I’m glad I finally did,” Harvey said. “I want this video to encourage men and women age 50 and over to get tested, and to join me and the American Cancer Society in preventing needless deaths from colon cancer so we can celebrate more birthdays with our children and grandchildren.”
“We have an opportunity to significantly reduce death rates from colon cancer through regular screening, and the Society is excited to have Steve Harvey on board to help us raise awareness,” said Otis W. Brawley, M.D., chief medical officer, American Cancer Society. “We appreciate his ability to raise awareness and influence action in communities, and we are happy to have his support in our mission to help Americans stay well.”
In his video diary, Harvey expresses his desire to be around for his family, and stresses that colon cancer screening is one of many steps towards a healthy, long life. Harvey takes viewers through the screening process – from check-in to check-out, letting them know that being afraid is not an excuse. In one portion of the video, Harvey talks with his doctor about the polyps that were found, and is relieved to know they are non-cancerous.
The American Cancer Society recommends routine screening for men and women aged 50 and over and earlier testing for those at higher than average risk. Regularly scheduled screening can not only detect cancer at an early stage, when it is treatable and beatable, but can prevent cancer from developing when precancerous polyps are found and removed before they become cancerous. More than half of all colon cancer deaths could be prevented if everyone who should get screened did so.
“Having a celebrity with the profile of Steve Harvey presents an exciting opportunity for the Society to raise further awareness about colon cancer,” said Alan G. Thorson, M.D., F.A.C.S., national volunteer president, American Cancer Society. “If we can use his influence to help motivate people to make screening for colon cancer a priority, we can save more lives and celebrate more birthdays.”
A number of lifestyle factors also impact risk – studies indicate that men and women who are overweight are more likely to develop and die from colon cancer, and that a diet high in red or processed meat is known to increase the risk of developing the disease; studies also show that high levels of physical activity may cut colon cancer risk in half. The American Cancer Society recommends engaging in moderate activity for at least 30 minutes on five or more days per week and substituting high consumption of red and processed meat with a healthy diet rich in plant sources, whole grains, and five or more servings of fruits and vegetables.
An estimated 146,970 cases of colorectal cancer were expected to occur in 2009, and 49,920 deaths were expected. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in both men and women. For more information about colon cancer, visit www.cancer.org/colon.
About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing about $3.4 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us any time, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.
About Steve Harvey
Steve Harvey began doing stand-up comedy in the mid-1980s, and has become one of today’s most multi-faceted entertainers as a radio personality, actor, author, entrepreneur and philanthropist. His successes in television and film include the hit WB network show, The Steve Harvey Show, which ran from 1996 to 2002 and won multiple NAACP Image Awards. Harvey was also featured on a sold-out tour as one of the Kings of Comedy and in the subsequent hit Spike Lee film The Original Kings of Comedy, along with Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley and Bernie Mac. Steve Harvey is now widely known as the host of the nationally syndicated Steve Harvey Morning Show, reaching over 7 million listeners. Most recently Harvey has become a #1 New York Times Best Seller for his book Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man, making appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Tyra Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The Early Show, CNN.
Busola Afolabi
American Cancer Society
(404) 417-5894
busola.afolabi@cancer.org