Even if you don’t think it can happen to you, it can. I’m a classic example of that. There was no family history and, at the ripe old age of 52, I was diagnosed without exhibiting any symptoms whatsoever. Surprise!

There’s a ton of really great organizations out there educating men and their spouses about prostate cancer. You can see many of them on my Resources page.

You don’t have to become an expert on prostate cancer, but you should take time to learn the risk factors, symptoms, different types of prostate cancer, and treatment options. Hopefully, you’ll never have to put any of that newfound knowledge to use, but if you are unfortunate enough to hear those three little words—”You have cancer”—you’ll have a little bit of a head start when it comes to making decisions.

This post originally appeared on Dan’s Journey through Prostate Cancer on September 1, 2021. It is republished with permission.