Have you ever heard the roar of 10,000rpm being fired up?

Well this Monday (September 4) after the 49th annual Cochrane Labour Day Parade you will be able to check out the dragster being fired up for prostate awareness in the parking lot of Crossfit.

September is prostate awareness month; Kelly Fedorowich, Executive Director for Prostaid Calgary, says they are happy to be part of the longstanding Cochrane tradition by not only participating but also bringing awareness to a cancer that often goes undiagnosed. "We come out, we share our message, one of the great things that we have as a platform is sharing the message with the Dark Side Racing top fuel racing team; which is a race car that is the only car of its kind in western Canada. Because of the draw it has, it has the opportunity for us to be able to reach out, shake hands with the community because of an interest they have with what they see visually and then we're able to connect on a deeper level and share our message."

One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and as years go by likelihood of becoming diagnosed is increased. The slow growing cancers are the most common for prostate and often go undiagnosed because they are silent until the metastasize..

Encouraging all men to be tested by 50, Fedorowich, states early diagnosis is key. "Many men also need to know that the first step in diagnosing does not necessarily include a doctor wearing a rubber glove. "There is a test called the PSA test, it is a blood test. A small amount of blood is going to give you the numbers that you are going to need, so the doctor knows if the next step of health care watching is required."

While Fedorowich spends time educating men, she actually reaches out to just as many women who can encourage the men in their lives to get tested. "That is one of the huge reasons that I took on the role as Executive Director, it is because I am able to connect with the women. Men are notoriously bad at being proactive about their own health, so in addition to talking to men if their wife, girlfriend, daughter or family member that happens to be of female persuasion or friend we could really hit home that message of get checked."

If you would like to hear the roar of the dragster, drop by the Crossfit parking lot just before 12:30 pm.