Earl "The Pearl" Joins BPH Fight

Four-time NBA All-Star Earl 'The Pearl' Monroe returned to Baltimore Thursday July 20, to add his voice to the call for men to check up regularly to prevent prostate cancer. At a well-attended press conference at Baltimore City Health Department Men's Health Center on West North Street, The Pearl answered questions about the disease as part of a national campaign to educate men about male urinary symptoms.

Baltimore is the fourth stop of the campaign which began in October last year. "My main message is to urge men to get regular check-ups. It's all about early detection. Needlessly, I suffered for three years," Monroe said of his own battle with the disease.

"I'm a prime example of a person who didn't like to go to the doctor. After three years of suffering benign prostatic hyperplasia, BHP (an enlargement of the prostate gland that is common in aging men), my wife convinced me to go. One week after consultation and after being put on medication, I was doing better already".

Earl Monroe, now 61, wearing his NBA's 50 Greatest All Stars ring, said the disease affects nearly 15 million people in the country. He stressed the need for proper diet and regular exercise and charged all to go out and spread the word. "Tell everyone. It's about quality of life"

The cheerful 1990 NBA Hall of Fame inductee, who played for Baltimore Bullets for four years, said "it is a privilege to come home again. It's been a heck of a journey and I'm glad to be back."

During the visit, The Pearl, who was instrumental in getting the rival New York Nicks to win the 1973 NBA championships in 1973, spent time with his daughter Danielle and grand child who live in Baltimore.

The national campaign is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc which co-markets Flomax, the medication that treats Monroe who now divides his time between public speaking, running his Long Island-based Reverse Spin Records and The Pearl Restaurant.