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VOLUME 12, ISSUE 37 YOUR WEEKLY COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SERVING CHELSEA, HUDSON Y ARDS & HELL’S KITCHEN SEPT. 10, 2020
LET’S STRIKE OUT PROSTATE CANCER!
WFAN’s Ed Randall helps NYC men battle silent killer
BY JOE PANTORNO
For more than four decades, Ed
Randall has been a familiar voice
and a mainstay on the airwaves,
becoming synonymous with baseball
and one of New York’s greatest sportsentertainment
exports.
Rising to fame in the 1980s with
his hit show, Talking Baseball, Randall
recorded 500 half-hour television
shows with what he describes as
“the greatest baseball legends you can
imagine,” ranging from Mickey Mantle
to Ted Williams, to Yogi Berra,
to Cal Ripken, and even Hollywood
star and noted Chicago Cubs fan, Bill
Murray.
He’s worked on the radio, served
as an emergency broadcaster for New
York Yankees telecasts, and even
fi lled in for legendary Yankee Stadium
PA announcer Bob Sheppard.
Over the decades, the show moved
from TV to radio in the volatile New
York market but at the turn of the new
millennium, Randall faced a challenge
that was far more harrowing
than sports media.
In 1999, a 47-year-old Randall was
faced with the unimaginable that so
many men have gone through as he
was diagnosed with prostate cancer
after a routine annual physical that
showed elevated levels in prostatespecifi
c antigen (PSA), a protein produced
by the prostate gland which
helps detect prostate cancer.
“As with most men, there were no
symptoms,” Randall said. “Besides being
stopped in my tracks by the word
‘cancer,’ I was also struck by how
few of my friends or colleagues knew
anything at all about the disease. All
I knew was that guys in their forties
were not supposed to get this disease.”
According to the American Cancer
Society, prostate cancer will affect 1
in 9 men during their lifetimes and
is the second most common type of
cancer found in American men. It is
generally found in older men, with
the average age at diagnosis being approximately
66.
Thankfully for Randall, it was detected
early, and he was able to make
a full recovery thanks to the care of
Dr. Nick Romas, now at New York-
Presbyterian at Columbia Medical
Center.
With his diagnosis and later, his recovery,
a vow was made.
“During treatment, I made a promise
to myself to use my platform to
help make men more aware of this
horrible disease and how to make informed
decisions about dealing with
it,” he said.
So, in 2003, Randall founded Fans
for the Cure, a non-profi t organization
that helps men recognize the risks of
prostate cancer while broadcasting
the importance of early detection to
both extend and save lives. When
caught early, the survival rate of prostate
cancer is nearly 100%.
In order to do so, he enabled the
help of some of the organizations that
got him to where he is today — most
notably, Minor League Baseball.
Since 2007, Fans for the Cure has
visited more than 1,200 ballparks
across 39 states and was designated
as the offi cial homegrown charity of
Minor League Baseball in 2009.
He’s also enlisted the help of some
big-time names throughout the years,
ranging from former New York Giants
linebacker, Harry Carson, to Baseball
Hall of Famer Andre Dawson, and 10-
time MLB All-Star Steve Garvey, who
serves as a chairman of Fans for the
Cure.
All three had battles with prostate
cancer, and their reach helps spread
the good work that Randall’s organization
is doing.
” Randall said. “Given that there
will be approximately 33,000 deaths
nationwide in 2020, we pledge to
commit all of our human and fi nancial
resources to increase the number
of men who will live with the disease
rather than die of it.”
For those numbers to improve, men
must clear the all-too-often hurdle
that comes with the anxiety of just going
to the doctor. All too often there is
unease at the thought of hearing bad
news, which is why many won’t get
checked up.
“If you worried about being scolded
by a doctor for no annual physicals in
20 years, then remember to nod vigorously,
don’t interrupt, and the speech
will be over in a minute,” he said.
“Then you and your doctor can get
about the important business of taking
control of your health, improving
how you feel each day, and extending
your life.”
Now over 20 years cancer-free,
the 69-year-old Randall continues to
do the work he loves, hopping on the
radio, talking baseball, and helping
ensure that men across America don’t
miss life’s moments because of prostate
cancer.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF FACEBOOK
Ed Randall
Chelsea Now goes blue for Prostate Cancer Awareness Month!
Know your risk, and know how to stay healthy!
Visit cancer.org to learn more
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