Rudy’s Tacos, Quad Cities, raises money for prostate cancer screenings
Rudy’s Tacos is raising money for to help defray the cost of prostate screenings, help educate the community about the disease, and provide help for families challenged by prostate cancer in the Quad Cities, a news release says.
One in six men will get prostate cancer during his lifetime, and one in 36 will die from the disease. However, the disease can often be treated successfully with early detection, the release says.
One of those men who died from prostate cancer was Rudy Quijas, founder of Rudy’s Tacos. Quijas passed away at the age of 55 from the disease, and his fight against cancer is still felt deeply to his family, friends, and colleagues at Rudy’s Tacos, the release says.
“My father wanted us to promote early prostate testing. That way other families could avoid the premature loss of a loved one. As we know, prostate cancer is very manageable if it is detected early,” says Kevin Quijas, co-owner of Rudy’s corporate.
This cause is personal to Rudy’s Tacos, and as the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men, it is personal to many families in the Quad Cities. Rudy’s is donating money received throughout this campaign to Us Too Greater Quad Cities. This local prostate cancer support group advocates and supports prostate cancer patients and their families in the Quad Cities.
Us Too promotes and helps to defray the cost of prostate cancer blood screenings throughout the year.
You are eligible for a prostrate screening if…
• You are a man 50 or older with no family history of prostate cancer
• You are a man 40 years or older at a high risk of developing prostate cancer. This includes Black men and men who have one or more relatives (father, brother, son or uncle) diagnosed with prostate cancer at an early age (younger than age 65).
Rudy’s wants all men who are eligible to get screened for prostate cancer. Money should not be a deterrent, the release says.
Rudy Quijas was an Air Force veteran and a member of the East Davenport Turners, Elks Lodge 298 and Davenport Moose Lodge. He sponsored many athletic events and teams including Little League and softball teams, the Rudy’s Golf Tournament, Mexican American traveling basketball and fast pitch softball teams. He enjoyed golf, family events and entertaining friends.
About Rudy’s Tacos
Rudy’s Tacos was founded in 1973 by Rudy and Marilyn Quijas. Their first restaurant, at 2214 E. 11th St. in the Village of East Davenport, seated 15-20 people. By 1977 the business had out-grown the tiny building and the new larger building opened for business in the summer of 1977. Since the late 1970s, Rudy’s has grown to include 11 other locations in Iowa and Illinois.
