On the Phil Lesh and Friends website, musician and founding member of Grateful Dead Lesh begins, "What do I have in common with Rudy Giuliani, John Kerry, Bob Dole, Joe Torre, Nelson Mandela, Sean Connery, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Emperor Akihito of Japan, General Norman Schwarzkopf, Colin Powell, Quincy Jones, Roger Moore, Sydney Poitier, and Robert De Niro?" Prostate cancer.

Lesh, who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, will be undergoing the da Vinci robotic surgical procedure in December to remove the tumor. As a result of his prostate cancer diagnosis, he is urging all men to have a periodic PSA screening for early detection of prostate cancer.

In 1998, Lesh underwent a liver transplant as a result of chronic Hepatitis C infection. He has become an active advocate for organ donor programs and raising awareness for Hepatitis C. Lesh is expecting a full recovery from prostate cancer because it was caught in its early stage. Here are a few fast facts about prostate cancer:

• Age is the most common risk factor for prostate cancer.
• Prostate cancer often does not cause symptoms for many years.
  
• Two simple tests are performed as part of a prostate cancer screening --a digital rectal exam and a blood test (PSA) to screen for prostate specific antigen.
  

To learn more about prostate cancer, visit Prostate Cancer.

As part of a cancer fundraising campaign of the Yankees Universe fund for pediatric cancer research, education and patient care at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, the New York Yankees are offering a limited-edition Yankees Universe t-shirt. Yankees owner George M. Steinbrenner III feels this is an exciting program will help many kids and their families lead a better life.

Monday, Brian Cashman, manager Joe Torre and Hall of Famer Yogi Berra delivered the announcement of the new Yankee Universe campaign at a press conference. Torre mentioned his diagnosis of prostate cancer in 1999. He called Memorial Sloan-Kettering and the Yankees the two most important teams in his life during the last 11 years. Torre said that cancer is a word that scares you, but when you find out the kind of work people are doing to discover a cure, it's very reassuring. "This is the Yankee universe," O'Reilly said. "And as far as I'm concerned, there's no better place to be."

Photo credit: Ben Couch