What will it be this Father’s Day? Such a limited palette of options. The shiny new grill, complete with a set of handy utensils. The old reliables: socks, ties. Books: Select one of the countless biographies of presidents timed for a blockbuster June release.
Or you can just give a nudge. Maybe that would be a powerful push. Either way, make an appointment for a prostate checkup for that special man in your life-whomever he may be.
No women’s college, sorority-boosterish stories here. This week, all attention focuses on men. (We women get our day under the Magazine microscope this fall.) WGN weekend co-anchor Bob Jordan provides an up-close, personal look at his efforts to eradicate prostate cancer-his own.
“After my diagnosis, I learned a great deal more about the anatomy and functions of the prostate and the types of treatment for this insidious disease. I became totally engrossed in research, reading everything I could get my hands on,” Bob says. “I was surprised at how difficult it can be to make a decision on the type of treatment to undergo. There are so many choices-each with its advantages and disadvantages-and each can produce a completely different lifestyle outcome.”
While you have your man’s attention, though, don’t stop with the prostate! There are plenty of other areas in which men can be improved. We would need an encyclopedia to catalog them all, so we’ve exercised some judgment here. We recognize that within every beast, there is beauty, so we offer tips on how to reach some points of perfection. And there’s no shame in starting small. Those teeth that lack a certain luster, hair that is nowhere it should be-and everywhere it shouldn’t-we offer tips for that too.
Remember that scene in “As Good as It Gets,” when Jack Nicholson’s character confides in Helen Hunt: “You make me want to be a better man.”
That’s our goal with this issue. So roll up your sleeves, gentlemen-there’s work to be done.
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etaylor@tribune.com
