PUTTING THE PUSH ON PROSTATE CANCER

Safeway manager supports research with 1,500 pushups

by PATRICIA MORRISON COATE
Staff writer
   
An announcement goes out across the aisles of the Sequim Safeway store: “Terry Payseno, you’re needed to do five pushups.” A customer has just donated $5 (or more) to the store’s prostate cancer research fund and Payseno hustles over and springs into action. One ? two ? three ? four ? five! “That makes 1,526,” the fit 51-year-old store manager beams.

In Safeway stores across the country, customers and employees are donating to the Safeway Foundation to fund prostate cancer research. Since the effort began eight years ago, the company has raised nearly $30 million for research at major medical centers, including Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle.

Payseno and co-worker J.D. Logelin added the extra twist. “During Breast Cancer Awareness month last October, we had a challenge to do pushups with donations and it grew into something huge. It’s a fun way to raise funds for prostate cancer research and I read that they’re getting close to a cure.” But Payseno also has personal reasons for committing to do 2,000 pushups by July 5 — his best friend died of prostate cancer six years ago at the age of 56, about a year after being diagnosed.

On the program’s first day, June 1, Payseno said he wanted to see if he could manage doing enough to match his age. He didn’t stop at 51 but continued until he’d done 236, a day’s record. Logelin, a 20-something, is up to 510 and an 8-year-old boy did 200 the other day, Payseno said. Donors’ names are put into a bucket and daily they have a chance at winning a $50 fuel card in addition to the privilege of watching Payseno sweat.

“Everyone at the store and in town has been just amazing. We have a lot of cancer survivors who shop here,” Payseno said.

“I’m very proud of Safeway for supporting research on muscular dystrophy, breast cancer and prostate cancer.” The Sequim store’s goal is to raise $13,000 — it’s raised $9,600 so far. At the minimum of $5 per donation and five pushups per donation, that’s a mere 3,400 more for Payseno and crew.

After this challenge ends July 5, Payseno will have a couple of months of respite before attempting 3,000 pushups during October for Breast Cancer Awareness month.