Thursday, October 11, 2012

I Am A Huge Fan Of Wearing The Prostate Cancer Ribbon

By Sherrey J. Cabrera


I was surprised when I strolled into work the other day and everyone started to ask me what the deal was with the light blue ribbon that I was wearing, but I think they were more surprised when I told them that it was a prostate cancer ribbon. I think that it's a bit of a letdown that while everyone knows about what pink ribbon means, blue ribbons are still unknown.

Of course it is wonderful that everyone knows so much about breast cancer, but as a survivor of prostate cancer, I feel strongly that people need to be more informed about men's health issues as well. I wasn't always so aware of prostate cancer and I didn't used to wear a prostate cancer ribbon, but I started having symptoms of prostate cancer around three years ago, but did was not educated about them and did not pay any attention to them.

Eventually, it got to the point where I could not hold out any longer and had to go to the doctor where I received the news that I was in big trouble and that I needed to get started on treatment right away. I was completely terrified, and my family was all very stressed and tense as I underwent the treatments and tried to recover from this devastating disease.

But I beat the odds and recovered and was eventually given a clear bill of health, which was like being given a second chance at life, not just for me, but for my whole family. After going through this harrowing experience, I decided to wear the ribbon from then on during prostate cancer awareness month, which is September in the United States, but I thought I would also wear it during other countries awareness months which were November in Canada and March in the United Kingdom.

I actually love the moments when people ask me about the ribbon, because it enables me to tell about my experience with prostate cancer, and share information with others who ought to be aware of men's health issues, but maybe have just not taken the time to really learn about it. The first day that I wore the ribbon in to the office was really a wonderful day, and I was delighted that because I shared my story, several of the other older men in the office made appointments with their doctors for a prostate check-up. As it turned out, one of the men had the early stages of cancer, and was very grateful for my advice, and I was grateful that he had listened!




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