So hi, I'm Kristen with blackdoctor.org, and I- What's going on? I'm good. I'm good. How are you? I'm doing good. Is this your first time walking? This is my first time walking here, and I couldn't be happier to be a part of this, to be honest. What is it that brought you out today? Is there a personal connection to prostate cancer? You know, it's the second leading cause of cancer death among men, right behind lung cancer. It's a big issue, and it's an issue not only for men. One in eight men are gonna get diagnosed in their lifetime. It's an issue for Black men, okay?

Oh, for sure. One in six. That's a big amount, and it's something I personally went through. My father had prostate cancer about 14 years ago. Wow. Had it taken care of, we thought. It actually came back again. Just went through radiation last year, last few months. Happy to say he rang that bell two months ago. You know what I'm saying? I love that. So, you know, not to say that it took something personal- Yeah to pay attention to the issue, but it rings a certain type of way. You know, it resonates a certain type of way with your soul when it's someone as close to you as your father.

Yeah. So to be able to come out here and to try to raise awareness, obviously raise funds- Yeah for this issue, I couldn't think of a better reason to do this. That's fantastic, and Zero Prostate Cancer is always doing so much to try to save lives. What do you say to people who don't wanna get screened? Like, if you could speak to some of the men, the Black men, the s- people who are concerned about the stigma around the screenings, what can you say to convince them?

It don't hurt 'cause you're not awake. Let's be honest. Right. You know what I'm saying? You go in, and you're asleep. A lot of people don't know that. Right. You're asleep for this, okay? Yep. So you don't even know it happens. Yep. Get it done. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Especially if you get to 40, that four zero. That's that marker that men should really start getting checked. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Obviously getting their colonoscopies, okay? Yep. It doesn't hurt. You'll be asleep. You don't have to tell anybody you don't want to. I love it, and it's Black History Month.

Black men are twice as likely to die from prostate cancer, unfortunately. What other messages do you have about just taking part in this, raising money, and, and being here today and taking part in this activity? You know, it's really an overall health thing that I'm talking about- Yeah that we're all talking about here. Obviously, we're focused on prostate cancer here, but, you know, heart disease- Yeah affects Black men. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. So many different ailments, and all that can be addressed by just regularly seeing primary care physicians, regularly getting our annual checkups, and just making sure that we're looking after ourselves because we're our best advocate.

I love it. Good luck out there today. Are you nervous? Nah. I love it. We face it every day.