Catman Raising Money For Breast Cancer Research

Criss helped found KISS in 1972, performing as the Catman alongside the Starchild, the Demon and the Spaceman. He left the band after eight years but then returned in 1996 and 2002 for reunion tours.

In 2007 Criss was diagnosed with breast cancer after noticing a painful lump in his left breast following a workout.

“I was this rock hero – I had dolls made of me!” Criss said. “I never thought I could catch anything. And then there it was.”

He had surgery in 2009 to remove what turned out to be a cancerous nodule. The drummer avoided additional chemotherapy or reconstructive surgery because the cancer was diagnosed early on. The 64-year-old is now cancer-free.

Criss is walking 3.1 miles Oct. 17 as part of the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event. The walkathon takes place at 10 a.m. at Ocean and Arnold avenues in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J.

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer has already raised more than $110,000 to help save the lives of women and men. The event aims to raise dollars and awareness to “create a world with less breast cancer and more birthdays.”

Criss is the co-captain of the Bosom Buddies/Twin Peaks. The team is currently in the lead for fundraising, having already collected $7,315. The drummer has personally raised $4,810.

Fans are invited to join the Bosom Buddies/Twin Peaks team and walk alongside the drummer the day of the event or to make a donation to sponsor Criss in the walkathon.

Criss encourages men to be proactive when it comes to their health and not to be afraid to be checked for breast cancer.

“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.”

The Associated Press notes that according to the National Cancer Institution, men make up 1 percent of all breast cancer cases. About 2,000 men are diagnosed each year and 400 die from it.

Click here for Peter Criss’ website.

Click here to join Criss’ team or donate through the American Cancer Society’s website.

Click here for the AP story.