L-R Dan Charnaw, Keith Persaud from The ManVan, Jamie McNamara, Club President
This past week we were joined by Dan Charnaw and Keith Persuad from the Prostate Cancer Centre who were promoting the ManVan, Canada's first mobile men's health clinic. The ManVan offers free PSA blood testing for men ages 40 to 70 which is used for early detection of prostate cancer. The clinical team also offers a mental wellness check which assesses depression and suicide risk symptoms. This brief 15 minute visit to the ManVan location can save your life!
Don Charnaw’s Journey: From Survivor to Lifesaver
On his 50th birthday, Don Charnaw began an annual tradition of getting tested for prostate cancer—a decision that would ultimately save his life. At age 68, a spike in his PSA levels led to a diagnosis he didn’t expect: prostate cancer. With unwavering support from his wife, Don faced his treatment journey, experiencing both the challenges of surgery and the power of early detection.
Today, Don works tirelessly with the Prostate Cancer Centre’s MAN VAN® program, spreading a message that saved his own life: Early Detection Saves Lives. He’s seen firsthand how one PSA test can change everything, bringing more men to clinics across Alberta.
Dan states that prostate cancer is right now what breast cancer is to women. The total number is now 7% higher for men to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than women to be diagnosed with breast cancer.
The Prostate Cancer Centre head office is in Calgary and is one the leading cancer research centers in all of the world. Dan went on to say that most men take better care of their cars than the do their own bodies. Dan mentioned that the ManVan will be conducting a clinic at the Leduc Recreation Centre in March but I can't see it on their schedule. I will find out when it will be and post in the upcoming newsletters.
As Dan mentioned, a large amount of men no longer have family doctors and I personally fall into this category. I can't remember how I first learned about the ManVan but I discovered that they were doing a clinic in south Edmonton in December and went in for the PSA test. I was in and out of there in less than 15 minutes and received my results the following day stating that my prostate was in good health. I can't tell you how relieved I was to receive the good news! But as Dan mentioned, don't be afraid to test often as prostate cancer can happen at any time and early detection is key to survival.
I have suggested to the Club that we sponsor a clinic here in Leduc at some time soon. The testing booth is staffed by cancer survivors but we can also be there to assist and also be there to promote the Club at the same time. The 40-70 age of testing criteria is also our demographic so I will strongly support any effort by the Club to sponsor a clinic.
In the meantime, it is important to spread the word of this valuable testing to all the men in your lives between the ages of 40 to 70. Tell your family, your husbands, fathers, brothers, sons and grandsons, brother in laws, sons in laws and friends to get tested, this 15 minutes could help save their lives!
