Plant the Seeds

I have 5 nephews and 1 godson: 6 young men who mean the world to me. Of those 6, only one has a father actively involved in his life. Some have lost their fathers, while others have fathers who are absent.

They're not my sons. But in many ways, they ARE my sons. And lately, I've been thinking about something.

What we don't teach our boys

We teach young men about school, sports, relationships, and making responsible decisions. But how often do we teach them about understanding their own bodies? More specifically, when do we teach them about the prostate?

As a prostate cancer survivor and advocate, I've discovered something surprising. A lot of grown men don't know much about their own prostate. And I was once among them.

I never took anatomy or physiology classes. It wasn't until I began seeing doctors in my 40s that I started learning more about the prostate, where it's located, and what it does. Years later, when prostate cancer became part of my own life, that knowledge took on an entirely different meaning.

Knowledge is vital to better prostate health

Not long ago, I texted a 56-year-old friend about prostate cancer screening and mentioned that September was Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. His response? "I never even knew there was a Prostate Cancer Awareness Month." That stayed with me.

Not because knowing about an awareness month guarantees better health, but because it reminded me how easily important information can pass us by.

An uncle’s vision

Imagine this… Imagine one of my nephews sitting in a biology class.
The instructor asks whether anyone knows what the prostate does.
A few students hesitate. But my nephew raises his hand.

"The prostate produces some of the fluid in semen. The testicles produce sperm." The instructor smiles. "Very good. How did you know that?" "My uncle told me. He had prostate cancer and explained the prostate to me."

Wouldn't that be something?

How prostate cancer awareness grows

One of my nephews is 36 years old. He has 2 sons, ages 7 and 9. When I talk to him about prostate health, I'm thinking about more than what he might learn. I'm thinking about what he might eventually teach his sons.

Not today. They're still young. But someday, when they're ready. And perhaps they'll pass that knowledge along to their own children.

That's how awareness grows. From uncle to nephew. From father to son. From one generation to the next. Share what you know. Encourage a conversation. Give someone else the opportunity to pass that knowledge along.

Plant seeds of knowledge before diagnosis

Interestingly, there's a prostate cancer treatment called brachytherapy that can involve placing tiny radioactive seeds inside the prostate. I've thought about the irony of that. We sometimes plant seeds to treat prostate cancer after it develops. But perhaps we should spend more time planting seeds of knowledge long before a diagnosis ever enters the picture.

Education cannot guarantee that someone will avoid prostate cancer. But it can help men understand their health, recognize the importance of family medical history, and have informed conversations with their doctors.

A gift that endures

I don't know whether my nephews will remember everything I tell them.
Maybe they'll remember just one conversation. Maybe someday, they'll share it with their own sons.

They're not my sons. But they ARE my sons. And if there's one thing I can give them today that might help them tomorrow, it's knowledge. Because the seeds we plant today may continue growing long after we're gone.