The Haverford School is proud to host the TENTH Annual Checking for Cancer Lacrosse Invitational, featuring premier ranked boys’ lacrosse programs and girls’ lacrosse programs. All of whom will compete in the spirit of the game while promoting the important cause of cancer awareness. Our mission of cancer awareness is particularly personal to our head coach John Nostrant.
John Nostrant, coach of The Haverford School, was diagnosed with prostate cancer 10 years ago, and Georgetown Prep coach, Kevin Giblin, is now in remission from his colon cancer. John and Kevin were roommates in college and line mates on the lacrosse field as players. They remain the best of friends. Both highly acclaimed coaches helped coach the United States U-19 Men’s Team to the International World Federation Championship in British Columbia in 2008. Each, however, has had to quietly but courageously endure private ordeals that are all too common to the thousands of individuals who are diagnosed with cancer each year.
Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer found in American men, other than skin cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be about 217,730 new cases of prostate cancer in the United States in 2010. About 32,050 men will die of this disease this year. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men. One man in 6 will get prostate cancer during his lifetime, and 1 man in 36 will die of this disease. This disease starts in the prostate and if caught before it spreads is highly treatable and curable.
Excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimated that about 102,900 new cases of colon cancer (49,470 in men and 51,370 in women) and 39,670 new cases of rectal cancer (22,620 in men and 17,050 in women) were diagnosed in 2010. This is a disease that tends to be slow growing and always starts as a polyp which can be found by colonoscopy. Proper screening should yield an almost perfect cure rate.
The good news is that the outlook for individuals diagnosed with prostate and colorectal is better than ever, and the key to a positive prognosis is screening and early detection. Beginning by age 50, men and women who are at average risk for developing colorectal cancer should begin a pattern of routine screening for cancer prevention. We hope that greater awareness will lead to an appreciation of the importance of screening and heightened vigilance in our battle against these curable diseases.