Peter Criss Walking for Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer Awareness month is coming in October, and while it is a disease most associated with affecting women, former Kiss drummer Peter Criss is taking part in a walkathon for the American Cancer Society on Oct. 17 in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J. Criss is raising awareness for the disease because it affected him directly, and he is asking fans to sponsor him and/or join the walk, as well.

Criss, 64, is asking interested parties to register at www.petercriss.net. He is currently cancer free, but the reason he is walking is a crucial and a brave one: to demystify and decrease the stigma and embarrassment that stems from a man having breast cancer. Men account for only one percent of breast cancer cases, and approximately 440 men die from the disease every year.

"It's not an embarrassing thing - it's a very important, major thing," he said. "You find something wrong, you have to go to see a doctor immediately. It's not going to go away."