Prostate cancer

BROTHERS, how many times have you been in the throes of a discussion (argument, whatever) with the woman in your life and you just didn't want to hear what she had to say? Perhaps, for some of you, that's happened more times that you care to remember.

Maybe you thought she just didn't know what she was talking about, or maybe you perceived what she was saying as just another episode of nagging, or maybe you figured that you simply know more than she does. But there comes a time when even the most knowledgable of the "Mr. Know-It-Alls" should not only hear what she's saying, but he should listen to what she's saying.

This is one of those times. With prostate cancer continuing to victimize Black men at a rate that's greater than that of any other group in the world, a new, innovative campaign--targeting the influence of African-American women --is underway, with the goal of convincing Brothers that getting regular prostate exams clearly is a matter of life and death.

Even though prostate cancer is one of the most treatable forms of cancer, if detected early, too many Black men, for whatever reason, just won't go to the doctor for the blood test and digital examination to fend off a disease that strikes 1 in 5 Black men and kills Black men at a rate that's twice that of other American men.

That's where the "Set the Date" campaign comes in. Anheuser-Busch, Inc. has joined in partnership with the 100 Black Men of America, the National Council of Negro Women, the Institute for the Advancement of Multicultural & Minority Medicine and the National Professionals Network (NPN) to raise awareness about prostate cancer and to promote preventive behavior, specifically prompting Black men to set a date to get a prostate exam.

It's no secret that, in general, women can get the men in their lives to do just about anything they want them to do. So this campaign is encouraging African-American women to use their considerable powers of persuasion to convince their male loved ones to make routine visits to their doctor.

Madeleine Moore, president of Moore Creative Marketing in New York, and co-founder of NPN (along with William Tedford, M.D.), says women can be the key to saving the lives of thousands of Black men. "Women are the merchants of change," she says. "We're urging Black women to talk to men about this very important issue. We want them to set the date because we love them and want them to be around. We want them to walk our daughters down the aisle, and to be around to comfort us on a rainy night."

The "Set the Date" campaign, unveiled during NPN's Leadership Summit & Spa at Sea, has the potential to be one of the most effective efforts in the fight against prostate cancer--if Brothers will just listen to what the women have to say, and then do the right thing by getting tested.

For too many men, when they finally decide to get tested, it's too late. Such was the case for the Indiana Black Expo's Rev. Charles Williams, who, severely weakened-by-the disease and with only two weeks to live, issued in EBONY (Sept. 2004) his final plea to Black men: "Get an annual prostate cancer examination!"

If you aren't moved by Williams' deathbed exhortation, then perhaps you'll listen to the woman with whom you share your hopes, dreams and desires. If you've never listened to what she had to say before, please listen now. It can save your life!