Ladies, Gentlemen, friends, family and best buds . . . .

As the last page of the 2009 calendar is torn off the wall and run through the shredder (with some extreme prejudice I might add), we look forward to yet another new beginning.

As we enter the last year of the first decade of the 21st century, we all once again face the usual challenges. Some of which we will even make attempts to address  these with our annual, and often repeated, New Year's resolutions. Some face bigger challenges.

As many of you will look to change your lives for better physical and financial health, improved relationships with your spouses,etc. These are the things that you can see and are aware of 

every day of your lives. It's time to look toward the things you can't see.

I know I'm sounding like a broken record, but for my guy friends out there I ask you to be sure to have your PSA level checked during your next "annual" physical. If you're not going to do it for yourself, do it for your spouses and families.  You can be in perfect health and not experiencing any symptoms, yet still the early stages of prostate cancer could exist.

Some statistics:

- 1 in 6 men in the US are diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime

- The older you are, the more likely you are to be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Although only 1 in 10,000 under age 40 will be diagnosed, the rate shoots up to 1 in 38 for ages 40 to 59, and 1 in 15 for ages 60 to 69. In fact, more than 65% of all prostate cancers are diagnosed in men over the age of 65.

- Caught early, prostate cancer is nearly 100% survivable

- According to the American Cancer Society, in 2009 about 192,280 new cases of prostate cancer were expected to be diagnosed, and 27,360 men will die of prostate cancer

- African American men are 61% more likely to develop prostate cancer compare with Caucasian men, and are nearly 2.5 times as likely to die from the disease

For the women out there . . .  ask your husbands to just get the blood test done. If your relationship and life with him means as much as ours means to Janet, do all you can to convince him to just get the blood test done.  Even if you have to schedule the appointment and bring him there yourself using some other means of encouraging him to go.

My family and I wish you all the best for good health, prosperity and many blessing in this new coming year.

Happy New Year to you all!