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Presley Ann / Getty Images for the Depend brand
For actor Boris Kodjoe and his family, the motivation has always been there to make health and wellness a priority. Together with his wife Nicole Ari Parker and siblings Patrick and Nicole, he recently launched a fitness app called KOFIT to help people find time in their busy schedules to get moving. Nicole also has a successful line of workout bands with her business, Gymwrap, to help women keep their hair off exercise. Taking care of yourself, whether physically or mentally, has always been at the forefront of the Kodjoe house.
But the passion to motivate others to prioritize it in the same way, men in particular, has grown tremendously as the Station 19 The actor has watched loved ones battle with prostate cancer.
“It was kind of a personal impulse for me to get involved because a close friend of mine and mentor went through a battle with prostate cancer. So I knew intimately the difficulties and challenges that we men face when faced with this kind of diagnosis, ”he told ESSENCE. “Then I found out that one in eight men in the country would be affected at some point, as well as one in four black men, which is just a very worrying statistic to consider. ”
Kodjoe decided to partner with Depend, the brand behind disposable absorbent underwear, as well as the Prostate Cancer Foundation, to raise awareness during National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and beyond. Depend products are used by many men with prostate cancer because urinary incontinence is a common result of treatment for men with this disease.
“Depend does so many things. They donate up to $ 350,000 to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, ”he said. “I also did more research on this because another friend of mine, Robert Smith, partnered with the Prostate Cancer Foundation to launch the Smith Polygenic Risk Test, which is a test specifically designed to detect early stage disease in black men who are at the highest risk. So it was something very personal.
It is also an incredibly personal effort for another reason. While his close friend and mentor was successful in overcoming prostate cancer, another recently succumbed to the disease. Kodjoe called the loss “devastating” and it was added motivation to stress the importance of men taking prostate cancer screenings seriously. It is recommended to start exams at the age of 50 for men with an average risk of prostate cancer, while those at a higher risk (due to a family history, for example) are encouraged to start. the age of 45.
“A lot of men are affected. Lots of men around me, ”he says. “I want to use my platform to talk about these things because it’s important that we remove the stigma that is often associated with conditions like prostate cancer, where men simply refuse to talk about it. The problem is, if we don’t talk about it, we don’t get information. If we don’t educate ourselves, the numbers will continue to rise.
One way people can help is by supporting research and resources such as the Prostate Cancer Foundation and Depend’s Stand Strong for Men’s Health initiative. Another is that people are emphasizing the need for early testing and annual reviews with the men in their lives. He also recommends that parents start early to foster practices that will encourage young boys to have regular check-ups with doctors of all kinds. If such practices are prioritized now, they will continue to be prioritized later.
“These are some of the things we need to address, especially as black men and men who in our communities are seen as pillars of strength,” he says. “Sometimes when we talk about these things and we are vulnerable, we are afraid of being seen as weak. We have to overcome this. We need to talk to our health care providers, to our doctors, and to make sure we are doing the right tests. ”
At a time when the pandemic has highlighted the need for everyone to take better care of themselves, the star hopes her efforts will help start the conversations necessary to save lives, especially as cancer of the prostate was found to be more aggressive in black men.
“We just need to start talking about these things,” Kodjoe says. “We cannot run away from these topics and continue to perpetuate these stigmas because our lives are in danger. Our lives are at stake. ”
To learn more about Kodjoe’s partnership with Depend and their work with the Prostate Cancer Foundation, visit the Depend website.
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