Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Tony Romo Hits the Airwaves in Fight Against Prostate...

Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Tony Romo Hits the Airwaves in Fight Against
Prostate Cancer

Professional Football Teams Challenge 100,000 Men to Get Screened

DENVER, Sept. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Superstar quarterback Tony Romo
found himself on the sidelines for one of the most important fights in his
life last fall -- his father's battle against prostate cancer. Ramiro Romo
had shown no signs or symptoms of the disease when a screening exam revealed
he had prostate cancer. The experience shocked and scared his entire family.

"My dad and I are very close. I can't picture my life without him," Romo
says. "My whole family was scared."

Nearly 220,000 men will go through a similar experience this year when they
are diagnosed with prostate cancer. The disease remains the second-leading
cause of cancer death among men, with nearly 27,000 expected to die from it
this year. When detected early, the five-year survival rate is nearly 100
percent.

Thankfully, the elder Romo's cancer was caught early. Now, Tony and his dad
have teamed up with the Prostate Cancer Education Council (PCEC) to urge men
to get a prostate cancer screening.

"Prostate cancer was something we didn't have a lot of knowledge about," says
Romo. "We were lucky that he found it early so I thought it was very important
for others to hopefully have some of the same advantages."

Ramiro Romo agrees. "It's important for men get screened early on so they
have a better chance of fighting the disease."

The Romos have taped a public service announcement that will begin airing this
month and is the centerpiece of the national "Tackle Prostate Cancer" program.
The effort, led by "coach" Robin Cole, former Pittsburgh Steelers player and
a prostate cancer survivor, includes support from 13 teams around the country.
Together, the group hopes to encourage more than 100,000 men to be screened
for prostate cancer over the course of the season.

"This is a terrible disease, made all the more terrible when you realize that
it's easy to screen for and, if caught early, very treatable. But we're still
losing thousands of men each year. We want that to stop," said Cole.

Prostate cancer screenings include a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood
test and a Digital Rectal Exam (DRE) done by a health care professional.

The campaign kicks off this Sunday, September 7, with the beginning of the
football season.

"A doctor's appointment is easy," said Cole. "It doesn't take much time out
of your day -- and could save your life."

"We're happy to be partnering with the Romos and a number of football teams on
this very important effort," said E. David Crawford, M.D., Head of the
Urologic Oncology Department at the University of Colorado Health Sciences
Center and Founder/Chairman of PCEC. "Many football fans are men over 35, and
that's exactly who needs to get checked for prostate cancer each year. This
is a disease we can and should tackle."

Men who want to respond to the challenge should visit
www.tackleprostatecancer.com to register and receive exclusive access to
program information.

Abbott, the global healthcare company based out of north suburban Chicago,
provided financial support to PCEC for this program.

About Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer remains the second-leading cause of cancer death in American
men. More than 220,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year
and it is expected that 27,000 men will die from the disease. With more annual
cases of prostate cancer than that of breast cancer among women, screening is
imperative to ensure the health of the men of our nation.

Yet prostate cancer is highly treatable when detected early.

It is important for men to know the value of screening. Men over age 35
should talk to their doctor about the appropriate screening schedule based on
individual factors.

About the Prostate Cancer Education Council
A national organization committed to men's health, the Prostate Cancer
Education Council (PCEC) is dedicated to saving lives through awareness and
the education of men, the women in their lives, as well as the medical
community about prostate cancer prevalence, the importance of early detection,
and available treatment options, as well as other men's health issues. The
Council -- comprised of a consortium of leading physicians, health educators,
scientists and prostate cancer advocates -- aims to conduct nation wide
screenings for men and perform research that will aid in the detection and
treatment of prostate cancer. More information is available at www.pcaw.com.

About Abbott
Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery,
development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical
products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs
more than 68,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries.

Abbott's news releases and other information are available on the company's
Web site at www.abbott.com.

Contact:
Jennifer Weissblum
Jones Public Affairs
(202) 742-5257
jennifer@jonespa.com

Wendy Poage,
President, Prostate Cancer Education Council
(303) 316-4685
wendy.poage@pcaw.com

SOURCE Prostate Cancer Education Council

Jennifer Weissblum, Jones Public Affairs, +1-202-742-5257,
jennifer@jonespa.com, for PCEC; or Wendy Poage, President, Prostate Cancer
Education Council, +1-303-316-4685, wendy.poage@pcaw.com