BOULDER, Colo. -- In 2006, Jerry Lee, a real estate developer and avid runner, was shocked to learn that he had prostate cancer.

"All of a sudden, it turned out to be that what was important before became less important," Lee said.

When weighing his options for treatment, Lee was tested to see if he was a candidate for targeted focal therapy, the same prostate cancer treatment that Mike Landess chose. However, TFT wasn't the best option for Lee so he elected to have radiation seeds implanted in his prostate.

"It's been fantastic," Lee said. "I walked away from the procedure and within three days I was running again."

He was also up and running with a new business called Newton Running Company, which produces and sells the state-of-the-art running shoes he helped design. However, his goal for the company is much larger than selling shoes.

"Newton Running Company became a focus of mine to help find a cure for prostate cancer, as well as inform people of the issues and educate them," Lee said. He believes there is a stigma associated with prostate cancer because of fears about the treatments and possible sexual dysfunction. He hopes to get guys and their families to start talking about it and dealing with it. He's doing so through events like the Set the Pace 5k race held Labor Day weekend at City Park.

"It's important because I feel that prostate cancer is something that has been hidden in the closet, by not just men being the macho, but also because I don't think the medical world is taking it up the way they took up breast cancer," Lee said.

He's made it his personal mission to raise awareness about prostate cancer and to do whatever he can to help advance treatment and find a cure. He has this message for all men over 50 years old:

"You need to understand, and you need to get yourself checked out," Lee said. "You need to get it treated, because it is something that you can live with if caught early."

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. For more information on where you can get a free screening, visit ProstateConditions.org.