Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
03/09/25 02:11
I was scrolling through Facebook, looking for news about friends, when an ad for a T-shirt caught my attention. In a way, it surprised me that I reacted to the advertisement because I certainly don’t need another T-shirt. Unlike many others, I don’t generally wear a T-shirt as an outer garment. I’m a long-sleeve shirt guy. I have had a couple of times when squamous cell carcinoma has needed to be surgically removed. The good news is that if one is going to develop skin cancer, squamous cell carcinoma is probably the least likely to spread. The lesions generally do not penetrate as deeply as basal cell carcinomas and are far less aggressive than melanoma. I have precancerous lesions removed on every visit to the dermatologist. I have no desire to make things worse. Sunscreen helps. Good clothing is another way to deal with skin cancer. I have several long-sleeved shirts made from material that protects against the sun.
As a result, I don’t need more T-shirts. I have plenty of them, including several long-sleeved T-shirts. I also have several mock turtle neck shirts that I occasionally wear under T-shirts when I want to display a particular design or logo. Many of my T-shirts are connected with some cause or event. I have a red shirt from the Gathering of the Eagles Canoe Journey. I have a bright orange shirt from Pennington County Search and Rescue. I have a pink shirt for breast cancer awareness that says “Tough Enough to Wear Pink.” I’m unaware of the connection between strength and what color one wears, but when I served as chaplain at Western Dakota Youth Services Center, all of the members wore “Tough Enough to Wear Pink” shirts for a photo each year. It was part of a fund and awareness-raising program about breast cancer.
The T-shirt ad that gave me pause was a blue shirt printed with a folded ribbon and the words, “Not all cancers are pink.” The website explained that blue ribbons are associated with prostate cancer, green ribbons are associated with liver cancer, and purple ribbons are associated with esophageal cancer. Gold ribbons are often associated with childhood cancer awareness. The site also featured pink shirts with teal ribbons to raise awareness for ovarian cancer.
A doctor once told me that everyone who lives long enough eventually develops some form of cancer. I guess I have lived long enough. Fortunately for me, the cancers that I have are not aggressive and are easily monitored. Since being diagnosed with prostate cancer, I’ve endured a few more tests to monitor the cancer, but at present, further treatment is not required. I get to see the urologist more often than some men. With a couple of visits to the dermatologist every year, I’m spending a bit more time in waiting rooms and becoming a bit more comfortable in exam rooms. It is a minor disruption to my life, one that I can continue indefinitely.
There are many people with much more dire health conditions. While I have benefited from quality screening, early diagnosis, and less aggressive forms of cancer, I don’t think I want to advertise my diagnosis with a T-shirt. Whereas “Tough Enough to Wear Pink” generally means that I am raising awareness of a form of cancer that does not affect me, donning a blue ribbon shirt probably will spark conversations about my health.
I passed on the T-shirts and continued scrolling.
It is interesting how looped ribbons have become symbols in our society. The use of ribbons might be traced to the 1973 song recorded by Tony Orlando and Dawn, “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree.” The song is a ballad told from the perspective of one who has served a prison sentence: “Now I’ve got to know what is and isn’t mine.” The former prisoner is uncertain whether his girlfriend will welcome him home.
Later, yellow ribbons became symbols of families awaiting the return of those who had been deployed overseas for military service.
From there, ribbons seemed to proliferate.
It isn’t a bad symbol. A bit of ribbon is inexpensive, and if it carries meaning for the one wearing it, I’m all in favor of it. Of course, we rarely leave things simple in the US. Ribbon symbols are now available as jewelry, t-shirts, and in other forms. It is almost as if we have separated the symbol from its original meaning.
I don’t mind talking to others about prostate cancer. I’m not keeping my medical diagnosis secret. On the other hand, I do not need to wear it on my shirt sleeve or any other part of my shirt. The treatment strategy for my prostate cancer is “active surveillance.” It sounds a bit like it might involve sneaking around and undercover operations. I’m comfortable with active surveillance.
September is National Prostate Health Month, also known as National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. I encourage all of my friends to learn about risk factors and symptoms and engage their doctors in conversation about prostate cancer screening.
I don’t need a T-shirt to have those conversations.
As a result, I don’t need more T-shirts. I have plenty of them, including several long-sleeved T-shirts. I also have several mock turtle neck shirts that I occasionally wear under T-shirts when I want to display a particular design or logo. Many of my T-shirts are connected with some cause or event. I have a red shirt from the Gathering of the Eagles Canoe Journey. I have a bright orange shirt from Pennington County Search and Rescue. I have a pink shirt for breast cancer awareness that says “Tough Enough to Wear Pink.” I’m unaware of the connection between strength and what color one wears, but when I served as chaplain at Western Dakota Youth Services Center, all of the members wore “Tough Enough to Wear Pink” shirts for a photo each year. It was part of a fund and awareness-raising program about breast cancer.
The T-shirt ad that gave me pause was a blue shirt printed with a folded ribbon and the words, “Not all cancers are pink.” The website explained that blue ribbons are associated with prostate cancer, green ribbons are associated with liver cancer, and purple ribbons are associated with esophageal cancer. Gold ribbons are often associated with childhood cancer awareness. The site also featured pink shirts with teal ribbons to raise awareness for ovarian cancer.
A doctor once told me that everyone who lives long enough eventually develops some form of cancer. I guess I have lived long enough. Fortunately for me, the cancers that I have are not aggressive and are easily monitored. Since being diagnosed with prostate cancer, I’ve endured a few more tests to monitor the cancer, but at present, further treatment is not required. I get to see the urologist more often than some men. With a couple of visits to the dermatologist every year, I’m spending a bit more time in waiting rooms and becoming a bit more comfortable in exam rooms. It is a minor disruption to my life, one that I can continue indefinitely.
There are many people with much more dire health conditions. While I have benefited from quality screening, early diagnosis, and less aggressive forms of cancer, I don’t think I want to advertise my diagnosis with a T-shirt. Whereas “Tough Enough to Wear Pink” generally means that I am raising awareness of a form of cancer that does not affect me, donning a blue ribbon shirt probably will spark conversations about my health.
I passed on the T-shirts and continued scrolling.
It is interesting how looped ribbons have become symbols in our society. The use of ribbons might be traced to the 1973 song recorded by Tony Orlando and Dawn, “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree.” The song is a ballad told from the perspective of one who has served a prison sentence: “Now I’ve got to know what is and isn’t mine.” The former prisoner is uncertain whether his girlfriend will welcome him home.
Later, yellow ribbons became symbols of families awaiting the return of those who had been deployed overseas for military service.
From there, ribbons seemed to proliferate.
It isn’t a bad symbol. A bit of ribbon is inexpensive, and if it carries meaning for the one wearing it, I’m all in favor of it. Of course, we rarely leave things simple in the US. Ribbon symbols are now available as jewelry, t-shirts, and in other forms. It is almost as if we have separated the symbol from its original meaning.
I don’t mind talking to others about prostate cancer. I’m not keeping my medical diagnosis secret. On the other hand, I do not need to wear it on my shirt sleeve or any other part of my shirt. The treatment strategy for my prostate cancer is “active surveillance.” It sounds a bit like it might involve sneaking around and undercover operations. I’m comfortable with active surveillance.
September is National Prostate Health Month, also known as National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. I encourage all of my friends to learn about risk factors and symptoms and engage their doctors in conversation about prostate cancer screening.
I don’t need a T-shirt to have those conversations.
