Run for the Ribbon

Click on the video player to watch Ronnie Dahl at the Run for the Ribbon on Sunday morning.

1000 Michigan men will die from this year alone from prostate cancer. One of the big challenges in battling this cancer is just getting men to go to the doctor.

Getting men to go to the doctor is often a tough task.

"I think the biggest challenge is most men are just afraid to go to the doctor. They stop going to the doctor at their high school sports physicals and then don't show up again until something bad happens," said Dr. Kenneth Kernen with the Michigan Institute of Urology.

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men. One in 35 men will die from it. Men need to talk to their doctor about when to get the P.S.A., that's the blood test that looks for proteins, and the digital rectal exam.

"Most men once they hit the age of 45 should definitely get a digital rectal exam and a P.S.A. to screen for prostate cancer. If you're African American, have a strong family history of it -- dads, uncles, brothers -- then you should probably get screened at 40," Kernen said.

Pushing prostate cancer out into the open is what a group of doctors from the Michigan Institute of Urology want to do. That's why they created the Run for the Ribbon. It's an annual event to raise awareness and raise money for prostate cancer research.

"I think the great part about the walk is you have generations. I ran last year with my dad and my son. You have families who are survivors of prostate cancer out there. There are people who are not survivors whose family come and walk in honor of somebody who's died of prostate cancer, and it's very emotional," said Kernen.

The second annual Run for the Ribbon 5K run/walk took place on Sunday, June 20 at the Detroit Zoo. For more information, visit www.miurunfortheribbon.org.