Day 128: Wore Blue

Recently, I scheduled a doctor's appointment for my annual physical. (I used ZocDoc of course.)  Since I just turned 30, I was thinking that this would require a whole new battery of tests that I hadn't had to go through before.  One of the tests that stuck out in my mind, and kind of freaked me out, was a prostate exam.  I figured it would be a really uncomfortable experience.  I had to have a sigmoidoscopy back in college, and that was beyond uncomfortable.  Luckily, I found out that, unless there were certain symptoms I was suffering from, I wouldn't have to start those until I was 50.  I guess I shouldn't say "luckily."  A prostate exam, as uncomfortable as I would picture it to be, is a necessity for men because it is the second leading cancer cause of death for men in the United States.  If caught early enough, however, it is one of the more treatable forms of cancer.  The benefits of getting the test FAR outweigh any perceived embarrassment from the exam itself.  Awareness needs to be raised for prostate cancer, and so, for today's random act of kindness, my daughter and I are going to be wearing blue, the color for prostate cancer awareness.  If you are a man nearing 50, or if you have a male loved one nearing that age, please make sure that they get the exam done at their next physical!