Patient Backpack Program

We are asking to partner with you to help Iowa men undergoing treatment for prostate cancer. When a man is told he has prostate cancer, there are a lot of thoughts that race through his mind. What does this mean? What is the next step? Is this curable? How will I tell my family? In the State of Iowa, 2,750 men (13.2% of ALL cancers) have been told they have prostate cancer in 2023. Over 500 of those men were right here in Central Iowa. There are nearly 30,000 men in the State of Iowa living with prostate cancer.

Team Blue Iowa, in partnership with The Urology Center of Iowa, are wanting to help those approximately 500 newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients in Central Iowa in 2024. Our goal is to give each man a backpack (Goody Bag) filled with items that have been suggested by former patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. The backpack will contain items to occupy their mind and help them throughout treatment, whether that is surgery or radiation (books, blankets, puzzles, etc.). It will also contain critical information about their treatment regimen and ways to help in their recovery (information about treatment, physical therapy, incontinence garments, etc.) Our ask is for your
financial support to bring together the community and provide comfort to those men who have been recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. 1 in 8 Iowa men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. These odds increase even higher with certain risk factors such as family history and race. Black men, for example, are at a greater risk of being diagnosed, with 1 in 5 Black men facing this horrible disease. They are diagnosed with a more aggressive cancer, at a later stage of disease and at a younger age than their Caucasian counterpart. They are also two times more likely to die from this disease.

What can you do to help? We hope that you would be willing to donate to help fund the purchase of the backpacks and their contents. Our goal is to raise $20,000 to cover the cost of the bags. All money raised will be used directly for the purchase of bags and their contents. Partners levels are $1,000 (Bronze), $2,500 (Silver), $5,000 (Gold), $7,500 (Platinum) and $10,000 (Blue Ribbon). Your logo will be on an item (water bottle, blanket, neck pillow, bag, etc.) depending on your level of partnership. We will include your logo on a pamphlet in the backpacks expressing our gratitude to our partners.