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This article is from
August 1999
Upfront
August 1999
Prostate Cancer Stamp Sparks Action Amid Controversy
The US Postal Service has issued the first Prostate Cancer Awareness stamp. The stamp is a vivid public sign of action and hope. As well as using it for their snail mail, thousands of people are wearing pins based on the design. A symbol at last!
Public campaigns to remind men to look after their health and be aware of prostate cancer are essential to avoid fatalism and apathy about this disease. This is a stamp that may save lives.
When the stamp was dedicated in Austin, Texas on May 28, Dr. Virginia Noelke, chair of the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee, said "We believe this stamp will go a long way in helping spread the word among men young and old about how important it is for them to discuss this deadly disease with their healthcare provider."
Some of the 43 million Americans who have no health insurance are men who haven't had a checkup in decades. A stamp won't fix that; but this stamp and the wearing of the pin will help lift public awareness while building a critical mass of support for raising more money for prostate cancer research.
One disappointment has been a lack of publicity inside local post offices to let the public know about the stamp. A poster version is available. People are taking the initiative, buying the poster, framing it and presenting it to their local post offices for display.
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