PARK CITY, UT  In the midst of prostate cancer awareness month, X Games gold medalist Steve Fisher (Breckenridge, CO) recalls what he felt at the age of 20 to learn that his father had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in December of 2003.

“It was completely overwhelming,” Fisher said. “It was literally just before the first Grand Prix in Breckenridge. He had just turned 51 and went in for his routine screening and his report came back that there were traces of prostate cancer.”

According to statistics, one in every six men are diagnosed with prostate cancer just like Fisher’s father, Ed, who was treated at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota a month after his diagnosis. Now, five years later, he remains cancer free.

“So far it hasn’t come back and he’s just really lucky that he caught it early enough to where they could get all of the bad cells,” Fisher said.

It was through his father’s experience and a desire to promote prostate cancer awareness and research funding that Fisher came to be involved with Athletes for a Cure, which is a program of the Prostate Cancer Foundation that enables athletes to raise money for the cause.