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It’s Never Too Early To Start Talking About Cancer

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I had a bit of a scare this year. At 34 years old, I am starting to feel the effects of the strain I have put on my body over the years. It’s mostly from not taking good enough care of myself and that is something I plan on rectifying immediately. While I won’t get into all the details, I was having some pains in one of my manly areas, and they were legitimate enough that my family doctor felt it was necessary to run some tests and eventually sent me to see a specialist.

Anyone who has ever had to wait a month or two for a specialist appointment will tell you how brutal that time can be. It gives you just enough time to panic about all the things that could be wrong with you, which usually turns in to convincing yourself that it’s the worst case scenario. Well, maybe that’s just me. As I would thankfully soon find out, I was not diagnosed with testicular cancer but the scare was enough to open my eyes to the fact that I needed to be more aware of the way I was treating my body.

My son will be 6 years old soon and it’s important to me that I encourage him to make better choices than I did when it comes to taking care of himself. We’re not going to be running any IronMan’s anytime soon but I want to set a healthy example for him to look up to and I also want him to be educated when it comes to the health risks facing men these days. Now, that doesn’t mean I’m going to put him through a cancer awareness class at the age of 6, but I definitely want to be ready to talk to him about it when it comes up. And it will, and has, come up.

Consider this a personal public service announcement from me to you!

Did you know that Testicular Cancer is the #1 cancer in young men ages 15 to 35? Well, It is. And that’s why I’m proud to be a member of the Team Singles Jingles PARENT BLOGGING TEAM and sharing some important information about Testicular Cancer.

A couple other things you should know:

What can you do?

  • Stop by the Testicular Cancer Foundation website for more information on Testicular Cancer
  • Request a FREE shower card with self-exam instructions – it just might save someone’s life!
  • And share this video with with all the young men in your life!

Let’s Talk About Testicles For A Minute, Shall We?

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Team Single Jingles Cancer Awareness

I know, it’s not a very comfortable topic, right? Unfortunately, the fact is that Testicular Cancer is the #1 cancer in young men ages 15 to 35?, so it’s a conversation that we all need to have with our children and amongst ourselves.

I’m proud to participating in the Team Single Jingles “Man UP Monday” project for a number of reasons. One of my friends was diagnosed, treated and cured of testicular cancer, while fresh out of high school. I also think it’s important for men to speak up, to let others know that it’s okay to do the same. Finally, I am father to a son of my own, who needs to know that Testicular Cancer is highly survivable if detected early and that the two of us should be doing a monthly self-exam.

I have never been one to shy away from visiting my doctor and I have vowed to talk to my son about taking care of himself, especially when it comes to the awkward topic of a testicular exam. I am now challenging you to take the same vow. That one, potentially uncomfortable conversation could be enough to save your child’s life and it’s absolutely one worth having.

For more information, please stop by the Testicular Cancer Foundation website
and Request a FREE shower card with self-exam instructions – it just might save a young man in your life! I’ll leave you with a great video, put together by the incredible Jim Higley, along with some of the other Single Jingles Parenting Crew.