Apology

This is the response I received from the Motorcycle Ride for Dad in response to the letter I sent them in my last post.

Hi,

I am very sorry to hear of the loss of your Grandfather. I know personally how hard it can be to lose someone close to you from cancer.

We’re sorry to hear that one of our ads has caused you distress, and although that wasn’t the intent I can appreciate how it initiated that response.

You are correct that the objective of the ad is to raise a reaction from people so men understand that they need to get their prostates checked. With over 800,000 Canadian men currently walking around Canada not knowing they have this disease it’s an important message to send. Luckily over 90% of cases can be successfully treated if diagnosed early, but over 50% of men don’t see a doctor on a regular basis, or get their prostates checked. It’s crucial that we grab their attention so they can see what could happen if they don’t get a simple PSA and DRE.

Our goal as an organization is to spread awareness and fund research, so that men can continue to be there for their families and friends for years to come. The chrome and leather grabs the attention of the masses on ride day, the research helps find hope for the future, and the awareness has the potential of saving men’s lives today. That ad is one of many awareness tools we use, and we wanted it to cause a take-charge reaction, because in the end that is what we are asking men to do—react, take control of their health, and get checked.  

Our intent was never to cause pain or guilt for those men, and their families, who have lost their fight against prostate cancer, and we sincerely regret any pain that viewing it has caused.

Kind regards,

[Name Redacted]
National Communications Manager
Motorcycle Ride for Dad