Ken Malik – Santa Rosa, CA

Ken Malik is the co-founder and executive director of the Prostate Awareness Foundation; He is one of the team leaders of this year’s expedition to Mt. Shasta.

The question always comes up: Why climb a mountain? The stock response is usually: because it is there. For me it goes much deeper than that. It is a chance to honor the good friends I have lost to cancer over the years. In 2016 alone I lost seven friends to cancer. So I will be honoring their memory in a special ceremony at the summit. I also plan to bring the ashes of two people very dear to me.

I attempted to reach the summit of Mt Shasta on the 2012 Cancer Climb and Trek for Prostate Awareness and I came within 600’ of the summit before I turned back due to a bad ankle sprain. On that climb, four of our twelve-member team were able to summit. This is a tough and challenging mountain. This time it would be nice to reach the summit, but I have understood for a long time that it is not so much the destination but the journey that is important.

I do feel fortunate that my body at 71 years old is still in good enough shape to mountain climb. I attribute this to my over 21 years of holding my prostate cancer at bay using a strict diet, regular daily exercise and stress management. I feel very lucky to have caught my disease early and be able to stall its progression without the need for conventional intervention. Men and their families need to know that cancer does not have to be the end of a rich and rewarding life.

I think it’s incredibly important that organizations like the PAF continue to offer men free, patient-driven information about how to take a pro-active approach to prostate health. It’s the main reason I’m climbing once again. Won’t you please support my efforts with a generous tax-deductible donation to the PAF?

You can support the PAF by making a tax-deductible donation via PayPal using your PayPal account or a credit card using the ‘Donate” button below. Thanks for your support.

Read more of Ken’s Story

Ralph Lake

This will be my 12th Cancer Climb for Prostate Awareness. These climbs are a great way to spread the message.

No family these days goes untouched by cancer. My father and four uncles were diagnosed with cancer. It seems like there’s an epidemic going on.

My old high school classmate Ken Malik and I became reacquainted eighteen years ago and he has really given me an education about prostate cancer. As a retiree, I don’t want to become another statistic. With the awareness I have gained about prostate health, I am taking a positive, proactive position in regard to prostate cancer prevention. I believe that awareness and personal action are key elements to prevention, early detection, and the early treatments that save lives.

I’m an avid outdoorsman and I’m looking forward to the climb and trek to the Peruvian Andes of South America. I had never considered myself a mountain climber before I got involved with PAF, but I’m in pretty good shape and this is a great way of giving something back while learning more about how to prevent prostate cancer. I’m up for the challenge and hope you will support my efforts. Thank you in advance for your participation and generous tax deductible donation to the PAF.

Ralph Lake is a retired engineer and resides in Austin, Texas. He is on the board of directors of the Prostate Awareness Foundation. Ralph has been an avid outdoorsman all his life. Once again this year, Ralph will be one of the expedition leaders.

Steve Massaro – Del Valle, TX

My experience with prostate cancer is two-fold. First, my grandfather had it in his later years of life. Although it did not cause his death it did cause considerable misery from both the treatments and the cancer itself.

I had my own run in with prostate cancer. I had a high PSA level on a routine exam about 15 years ago, then had a biopsy with the usual unpleasant after effects. Thankfully the biopsy came back negative. I’m afraid to go through that again having read that biopsies can possibly free up otherwise slow growing cancer cells to travel elsewhere in the body. So I have adopted a pro-active approach to my prostate health which includes a prostate friendly diet and increased exercise and hope that will keep any prostate problems at bay.

Thank you for supporting my efforts to reach the summit of Mt Shasta. I have never attempted a technical climb on snow and ice before. I look forward to the challenge with some apprehension, and lots of excitement.

To donate by credit card please follow the PayPal prompts or you can donate by check. Thanks for your support.

Don & Janet Naples

As a couple, we have been dealing with prostate cancer for a few years now. Don had radiation therapy for his Gleason 8 cancer a few years ago. It was not successful and Don’s cancer returned in only a year, even though we adopted a strict prostate friendly diet, took steps to better manage stress and put an emphasize on a regular, fairly aggressive exercise program.

With the use of a number of novel approaches to controlling the growth of Don’s prostate cancer we have been able to contain its progression. Many of these ideas and strategies we learned from the Prostate Awareness Foundation.

Don is an ex-submariner, an avid sailor, woodworker and scuba diver. Janet loves to read and is a master gardener. They love to travel and look forward to the Cancer Climb and Trek for Prostate Awareness this September.

To donate by credit card please follow the PayPal prompts or you can donate by check. Thanks for your support.

Robin – Novato, CA

I’ve wanted to visit the Peruvian Andes since long ago when I traveled in Ecuador with a friend. Machu Picchu is a place of majesty and mystery, so when I heard from my friend Ken Malik that he was recruiting for a Cancer Climb and Trek for Prostate Awareness, I jumped at the chance to be on the expedition. I’ve only traveled with a group like this once before in China and it was a great experience. I have been hiking with the PAF on some of their Sunday morning hikes, and I always learn a lot, not only about health topics but also the area and trails we are on. Now I’m ready for some serious trekking. I’m confident that this will be a memorable and incredible journey.

To donate by credit card please follow the PayPal prompts or you can donate by check. Thanks for your support.

William Hartley

I don’t have prostate cancer and I don’t want it. I’ve known guys that have had this disease and I’ve seen the impact it has had on their lives and the trauma their families experienced.

I met Ken Malik and other members of the Prostate Awareness Foundation a couple of years ago on a Prostate Gathering in the Yosemite High Country. I attended because a close friend of mine, Ralph Lake, invited me along. It was a trip of a lifetime. After meeting the members of the Prostate Awareness Foundation and hearing their stories, I was very impressed with the dedication of these individuals to make complete, and in some cases radical, lifestyle changes that ultimately had a positive impact on their long term mental and physical well-being. These changes impacted not only themselves but also their families and friends. This dedication toward a better lifestyle, helped to keep their prostate cancer from progressing and extend their lives. Discussions about prostate health and other health matters came up regularly on the trail and around the campfire. For me, these discussions involved preventive measures that I could take to improve my health.

The PAF did not want to sell me a video, pamphlet, secret potion or any other product. They gathered to discuss their experiences with how a healthy diet, reducing stress and increasing exercise improved their health and kept their prostate cancer in check. The fully tax-deductible money donated to this organization is used to hold meetings, print and distribute materials – essentially spread the word on Ken Malik’s proven approach to extending his life after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Since that first meeting a couple of years ago, I have kept in touch with the PAF and last summer I was on the support team for the Cancer Climb and Trek for Prostate Awareness expedition to Mt Shasta, CA, an awesome mountain.

This all has had a profound impact on me and I’ve adjusted my diet and lifestyle. I’m proud to say I’ve lost some weight and haven’t felt this good physically in years.
I look forward to being on this year’s Cancer Climb and Trek expedition to the Peruvian Andes. This year I will be on the Climbing/Trekking Team. Many thanks for supporting my efforts with a tax-deductible donation.

To donate by credit card please follow the PayPal prompts or you can donate by check. Thanks for your support.

Kaitlyn Hartley

Did you know the American Cancer Society estimates there will be approximately 164,690 new cases of prostate cancer diagnosed in the US this year? That equates to 19% of all new cancer cases in males in the US in 2018!

Those statistics are what make the Prostate Awareness Foundation (PAF) so important. PAF is different and unique in its approach to preventing and healing prostate cancer through its emphasis on a healthy life style, diet, exercise, nutritional supplements, and stress reduction techniques. But what really impresses me about PAF is the nationwide mentor program pairing men who are considering a particular treatment path with those who have already had the experience. I truly believe a support system is imperative in helping us get through the most challenging times in our lives.

Everyone knows someone with a prostate, whether it be your dad, uncle, brother, grandfather, cousin, spouse, friend or colleague. It’s important to discuss and bring awareness to this terrible disease, which is why I’ve joined the trekking team for PAF’s 2018 Cancer Climb in Peru.

Traveling the world and discovering what it has to offer is my passion. I have traveled extensively across the US and Europe as well as spent time in India, Panama, Mexico, and Peru. Regrettably my first trip to Peru did not allow time to visit Machu Picchu which is another reason why I could not miss this opportunity with the PAF. Machu Picchu is a bucket list destination for me and I am so very excited to share this experience with my dad.

Please provide your support and enthusiasm for our September expedition. All donations are tax deductible. To donate by credit card on my behalf please hit the Donate button by my picture and follow the PayPal prompts. If you would like to send a check please send it to: PAF, PO Box # 2934, Santa Rosa, CA 95409.

Tom Lennon & Josie – San Francisco, CA

I’m an eight year veteran of prostate cancer. I’m happy to report that my prostate cancer has not progressed. In fact my latest biopsy conducted at UCSF Medical Center could not provide a Gleason score as my tumors were undetectable. I feel fortunate that I was diagnosed with an early stage cancer before it had a chance to progress. This gave me a chance to adopt the PAF recommendations on how to take a pro-active approach to dealing with prostate cancer. I eat a plant based diet along with vitamins and supplements. I can credit these serious lifestyle changes with this good biopsy news!

I have a partial knee replacement in both my knees. But a sensible exercise program allows me to continue my active lifestyle. I participate regularly on PAF Bay Area weekly hikes. I’ve also participated in a number of past Cancer Climb and Trek for Prostate Awareness expeditions.

I’m really looking forward to the Mt Shasta expedition, seeing old friends and making new ones. Won’t you please support my efforts with a generous tax deductible contribution to the PAF? Men need to know that they can stall prostate cancer disease progression using the Prostate Awareness Foundation model. These expeditions are the primary fundraising event for the PAF and helps the Foundation continue its important work. Thanks for your support.

Tom owns and operates Vintage Modern Antiques with his wife Josie and lives in San Francisco.

To donate by credit card please follow the PayPal prompts or you can donate by check. Thanks for your support.

Jeanette Lebell & Quincy Zlotnick – Los Angeles, CA

My late husband’s diagnosis with prostate cancer at age 41profoundly affected our lives for over two decades before it claimed his life at age 63. One of the few positive impacts of the disease was that we developed a close, lasting relationship with the Prostate Awareness Foundation and the wonderful people involved with it. PAF continues to support those confronting the disease with an emphasis on an integrative approach to healthy living and healing, a cause which remains rather dear to my heart. This will be my second official climb with PAF although I’ve participated in the organization’s Annual Jan Zlotnick Memorial High Country gatherings dedicated to my husband along with numerous local hikes and events.

Prostate cancer, with its numerous forms and iterations, reminds me of a seven-headed monster. Its commonality is such that almost everyone has heard: “A man is more likely to die with prostate cancer than from it”. While statistically accurate, I think this gets tossed around in a way that often demeans the reality of those men who are battling for their lives and acts as a subtle deterrent for disease-free men to be proactive about staying healthy.

Controversy surrounds virtually every aspect of the disease from risks/benefits of routine PSA testing, follow up testing options, and the life altering effects of various treatment options. PAF provides advice and support to help men wade through some of the controversy so they can make decisions that are right for them. It does so in the context of universally accepted healthy lifestyle guidelines, as well as providing resources to aid in the exploration of some less-universally accepted treatment modalities. Lifestyle choices for healthy eating, stress reduction and exercise (such as hiking) have many wonderful side-effects regardless of whether you have — or have ever had — a prostate.

One lingering positive impact from Jan’s diagnosis is the inescapable reminder to live fully in the present. Traveling to Machu Picchu had been a bucket list adventure for our family, one that we were planning when Jan’s cancer progression derailed our plans. I am excited to finally be able to go, along with our son Quincy, and to raise some funds for PAF. Jan will be with us inspirit on this journey.

To hear directly from Quincy, please read the essay he wrote following our family’s participation in a previous PAF climb: https://www.prostateawarenessfoundation.org/contact-information/ Click on the story about Jan & Quincy Zlotnick.

To donate by credit card please follow the PayPal prompts or you can donate by check. Thanks for your support.

Ore Ogunyemi – Los Angeles, CA

As a urologist, I am unfortunately all too familiar with the devastation that prostate cancer can cause. My first patient as a young medical student was an elderly gentleman who had metastatic prostate cancer. He could have been my grandfather, he looked like so many men in my family. And as a black male he fit into that horrible statistic – more likely to get prostate cancer and more likely to die from it. Although he succumbed to the disease, I was grateful for the time I spent with him and it sparked my desire to prevent more vibrant men– brothers, fathers, husbands and grandfathers, from falling victim to this awful disease.

That is why I am honored to join the Prostate Awareness Foundation on this year’s Cancer Climb and Trek for Prostate Awareness fundraising expedition to Machu Picchu and the Peruvian Andes. Thank you in advance for your generous donation to this important cause.

Dr O is a urologist residing in Los Angeles

To donate by credit card please follow the PayPal prompts or you can donate by check. Thanks for your support.