Why Is L.A. Turning Blue This Week?
L.A. is turning blue today! Summer's approaching end nor the Smurfs are the culprits. Rather, the City of Angels is changing its shade this week to raise awareness for prostate cancer, a major, misunderstood health concern that often goes ignored by men.
Los Angeles City Hall, Capitol Records, LAX's tall greeting pylons and Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel are just a few of the landmarks that will be basking in blue light come Friday. Most buildings will remain blue for three days starting on Friday, while other venues, like Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows, Prostate Cancer Foundation and 2nd and 4th Streets in Downtown Santa Monica, will go blue tonight.
It's all part of a new public education campaign aimed at making Angelenos aware that prostate cancer is a serious health risk. One in eight men will develop the disease in their lifetimes, compared with one in six women diagnosed with breast cancer, said Dan Zenka, spokesman for the Prostate Cancer Foundation, according to L.A. Now.
Zenka also noted that men, despite five-year survival rates topping 97%, rarely opt for the necessary preventative screenings. "Often they wait until it's too late."
The September campaign is a partnership of The Prostate Cancer Foundation and Blue September, an organization designed to educate American men about prostate cancer and encourage routine screenings.
