Let's Talk About Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is a serious disease that kills thousands of men every year. And if you’re a black man, you’re twice as likely to develop the illness and are more likely to die from it. While early detection is the best way to keep prostate cancer from cutting your life short, men living in underserved communities are often unaware of the severity of the disease and lack basic information about getting checked.

See also: Why prostate cancer exams are critical.

Talking about prostate cancer can make some people feel uncomfortable, but one man is on a mission to make them listen. Lawrence McRae is a prostate cancer survivor. Formerly a grocery store employee, he now spends his retirement days traveling to some of Alabama’s poorest communities to preach the importance of prostate cancer screening and early detection to anyone and everyone he meets. Living out of motels and the back of his car, he flocks to parking lots, restaurants, barber shops (really anywhere minority men tend to congregate) to spread his message. “We’re talking about saving lives,” he says as part of his pitch.

This nomad known as 'The Prostate Man' is funded only by his social security check. When he’s not on the road, he’s sharing his advice at health seminars and partnering with organizations that offer free prostate screenings to men. But why does he do it?

“My mother, she always told me…always try to help somebody,” he says.  “I keep doing it because somebody’s got to do it.”

My Generation joins McRae as he carries out his inspiring mission of care.