Ben Franklin Bridge to go blue for a cause

The Benjamin Franklin Bridge is scheduled to glow with blue lighting Friday to observe Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.

The lighting was requested by Ed Randall's Fans for the Cure, an educational charity based in New York formed to raise awareness of prostate cancer and promote screenings and treatment options for men. The Delaware River Port Authority confirmed that the lights are programmed to go on automatically at dusk and remain on until 2 a.m.

"This is a major cause of death each year," said Ed Randall, the charity's founder and CEO, and a survivor of the disease. "Our mission is to do everything possible to help men with early detection and treatment."

According to the American Cancer Society, each year more than 161,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer, the most common cancer for men. In addition, more than 26,000 deaths are caused by the disease, the organization reports. Early detection and treatment vastly improves survival rates.

Randall said his cancer was found at age 47 from a routine physical in which blood tests showed high PSA levels.

"Had I not gone for a routine exam and had I not had the blood test, I would not be here today," Randall said.