Man Van makes stops in Edmonton, offering free prostate testing

The Man Van travels across Alberta offering free prostate testing. (CTV News Edmonton/Sean McClune)

A van will be making stops in Edmonton this week, offering special medical testing for men.

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The Man Van was parked at the London Drugs off Stony Plain Road on Thursday, promoting free prostate testing for men between the ages of 40 and 70.

No need to drop your drawers, however, as volunteers use a simple blood test that measures levels of prostate-specific antigens.

Terry Kirkland, a volunteer with the Prostate Cancer Centre out of Calgary, said one in eight men gets diagnosed with prostate cancer.

“The health care system in Alberta is in a bit of a strange situation these days,” Kirkland told CTV News Edmonton. “To be able to walk up to a van like this in a parking lot and have a very complimentary and serious test undertaken, give up 15 minutes of your time, it’s phenomenal.”

He adds that prostate cancer can be a silent killer as it has few symptoms.

Kirkland was diagnosed with prostate cancer over a decade ago. After receiving aggressive treatment, he’s been free of it ever since.

“Here I am, 14 years later, still full of energy, still going full out,” he said.

One perk of the van is that it can travel to rural and remote areas across the province where testing might not be readily available. The Man Van has been travelling across Alberta, providing free testing for over a decade and has tested more than 65,000 men.

The van will be parked at IKEA on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. before heading to Bonnyville. Results can take three to four days. If there is an abnormal reading, the Prostate Cancer Centre will provide a requisition to a lab in your community.

September marks prostate cancer awareness month.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Sean McClune