Think blue TOO...

you may not be aware that September is national prostate cancer month. on a takeoff of the breast cancer awareness slogan "think pink"-- we have "think blue, too". if you see someone wearing a blue ribbon, most likely it is for national prostate cancer awareness month.

last year the agn printed an edition on pink paper to promote awareness of national breast cancer month.  little a-town has an annual susan g. komen 5-k run to promote awareness of breast cancer in women. 

in what may be a first anywhere in this country, today's edition of the agn was printed on blue paper.  there is no equivalent, on a national scale, to the susan g. komen "race for the cure" to spotlight the importance of prostate health screening in men.

locally, in 2007,  joe ed coffman picked up that torch for area men in the form of a "friends of fogelberg" concert. it is staged bi-annually in memory of dan fogelberg who died of prostate cancer at the age of 56.  there is hope that "friends of fogelberg", now a second-party fundraiser, will catch on across the nation ala the komen foundation.

funds from the concert are given toward prostate screenings for indigent and uninsured men through the don and sybil harrington cancer center.

anything the "friends of fogelberg" bunch can do toward raising awareness of the critical importance of prostate screening,  particularly in men aged 50 and beyond, is a potential life saver.  the agn reported last year's free screening found 10 men in the 300 screened who were referred for future monitoring. 

men are such pussies!  denial is our strong suit!  a "that'll never happen to me attitude" can lead to a personal, potentially fatal health crisis.  no man wants to think about suffering the indignity of his physicians annual "finger wave" exam.  but, it is over in seconds and should be seen as an investment in your longevity.

and let's face it guys, the "finger wave" is nowhere near as personal as the exams our ladies must suffer through.  think about it, you, on your back with your legs up in stirrups, splayed wide to facilitate a speculum exam or having your breasts squashed  during a mammogram.  what if a similar exam was required to document "your boys" continued health. ouches all the way around, right?

face it men, what we have to endure to monitor our prostate's continued health is nothing in comparison!

so men, swallow your foolish pride.  get your prostate checked, i did; and while your at it explore the need for a colonoscopy.  your future just might depend on it!

aio