It’s once again Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and my message to men (and their partners) out there is a simple one: Educate yourself.

Educate yourself about the debate over PSA testing and whether it may be right for you. Educate yourself about the risk of getting prostate cancer given your family history. Educate yourself about how prostate cancer behaves, either aggressively or not so much. Educate yourself about the various treatment options that are out there along with their risks, potential side effects, and potential success rates. Educate yourself about the terminology used in discussing prostate cancer.

Most important, educate yourself on all of these things before you may ever be diagnosed with prostate cancer.

You’ll be better equipped to move forward should you be unfortunate enough to be diagnosed if you’ve learned about this insidious disease that’s more complex than most people give it credit.

On a related note, if you are diagnosed with prostate cancer, expect to be surprised at who is and who isn’t there to support you along the way.

It’s been interesting to me to see how some of my best support for dealing with prostate cancer has come from readers of this blog from as far away as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, various states in the U.S., or the United Kingdom. For that, I am truly grateful and want to simply say, “Thank you!”