Today I had a wonderful opportunity to visit with my best friend. In order to frame this blog entry, let me state that I am Caucasian and he is African-American. That is irrelevant except in the context of a question that I posed to him.
Reality is – African-American men have a higher probability of developing Prostate Cancer than do Caucasian men. (As a point of reference – Asian men have the lowest rate of Prostate Cancer). Since it is medically proven that African-American males are predisposed to Prostate Cancer the question was:
Why are African-American men less inclined to have routine and early checks for Prostate Cancer – such as a DRE (Digital Rectal Exam) or PSA test?
I have asked that question of two African-American men – one who had Prostate Cancer (and like myself was a survivor) and, today, my best friend.
I was surprised by their answers – which were vastly different. I am going to provide both answers without attributing authorship to either. 
I suspect that once read, I may receive a ton of responses and that, frankly, is the purpose. My point here is not in any way to be racist, but rather to expose an issue and create dialogue. If we can raise awareness – especially in the African-American community – then lives will be saved and the outcome will be worth the controversy.
RESPONSE ONE: “Well, Chuck, you must put this in historical perspective. Black men were brought to this country as slaves within the past 300 years. They (black men) were treated with less respect than the land owners farm animals. Therefore, unlike their white brothers, they (Black men) were illiterate and did not receive proper medical care. They were never taught the importance of medically taking care of themselves. Therefore, my generation (both men who commented were Baby Boomers like me) has come to know the importance of having regular check ups. My father’s generation did not. Hence, when they found out it was important, it was too late. Black men are behind overall in medical care and communication of the importance of preventative maintenance and testing.”
RESPONSE TWO: “Well, Chuck, I hate to say it, but African-American men are scared. Black men, in general, are homophobic, so the thought of someone sticking a finger or anything else, for that matter, is just unacceptable. It is just note part of what the Black man’s psyche is willing to accept. The other issue is sexual performance. A Black man is more defined by his sexual performance than a white man. The idea that a prostate cancer diagnosis may leave a man impotent or even partially unable to perform is enough to cause the members of my ethnicity to avoid getting checked. Sad, but many have said to me, they would rather be able to perform and then die of prostate cancer, than have their woman leave them and live.”
QUESTION: Do either of the responses resonate as true?
I would appreciate your comments as this discussion – perhaps more than the others thus far – has the potential for raising awareness and saving lives. Not only am I interested in providing solutions, but early detection saved my life and I have an ethical and moral obligation to spread the word.
Posted by chuckgallagher 
