WHY THE PROJECT WAS STARTED

---

The goal of the "If You Are My Brothers" campaign is to raise awareness about prostate cancer, particularly among men of color who face a higher risk of contracting and dying from the disease. The campaign's origin can be traced back to an email sent by Ralph C.T. Franklin, a 57-year-old real estate attorney and my fraternity brother.

 If You Are My Brothers is a documentary and outreach project that follows the journey of two African-American men with prostate cancer.  Ralph Franklin, the real estate lawyer with a PSA of 100 and a prognosis of death, meets a physician who helps prepare him to live and not die. Reggie Hicks, the producer of the documentary, while chronicling Ralph's story on film, is also diagnosed with the disease. Now, this one story evolves into two...two stories that are intricately intertwined...two men with their challenges...two men with a common bond of brotherhood and hope.

 Like most African American men, even educated ones, Ralph rarely visited the doctor and considered himself to be in excellent health. The death of his sister-in-law from brain cancer prompted him to re-evaluate the provisions he had set aside for his family after his passing. As he and his wife were becoming empty nesters, Ralph decided to bolster his life insurance. Of course, at his age, more insurance meant a barrage of medical examinations. One test led to another, all seemingly routine until his PSA level from one of the tests came back elevated enough to decline the policy, high enough to suggest prostate malignancy.

This project followa Ralph's journey from receiving the insurance company's shocking rejection letter, which led to his loss of hope, to meeting a physician who helps prepare him to live and not die. Ralph reaches out to his fraternal brothers to pray for him and his loved ones once he's departed, but instead, he finds hope and inspiration for himself, his family, and all those who will hear his story.

Ideally, this message of hope would serve as the perfect ending. However, the documentary takes a turn when its producer is diagnosed with prostate cancer during the project's production.

Reggie Hicks, the producer of "If You Are My Brothers, " never imagined he would find himself on the other side of the camera, in the same examination room and chair where Ralph Franklin had sat a year before. With a PSA of only 2.2 and a normal DRE, Reggie would become not just a part of the documentary but also a part of a very alarming statistic: 1 out of every 5 African-American men will develop prostate cancer.

The camera now focuses on this middle-aged family man. What will his journey be? There are many challenges, including one challenge in particular that over 46 million Americans...no health insurance.