When it comes to talking about health, it probably won't surprise you that men tend to be less likely to open up than women, according to a national survey released by Cleveland Clinic.
The results were released as part of the hospital's second annual educational MENtion It campaign, which aims to address the issue and get the conversation going.
"I think particularly men my age were raised by a generation of men that never had these conversations," noted Mitch Luxenburg of Beachwood.
But Luxenburg's experience was a little different than the norm. When he was 11 years old, his father had a heart attack. Then, in his mid-20's, Luxenburg found out his dad had prostate cancer.
"I had an elevated level of knowledge, because he didn't really shelter any of us from it," he explained.
Luxenburg says he went through life with a "heightened alertness." That became even more pronounced when his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was just 31 years old and pregnant with their fourth child.
She lost her battle within a year after giving birth.
"So here I am, 34 years old, single dad, four kids ages five and under but you do what you have to do," remarked Luxenburg. "You can't really put it in words. I mean, you learn what surreal means. It's just, everything is spinning around you and you don't really have a choice but to take it head-on."
As if he hadn't already been through enough, Luxenburg then received his own diagnosis: prostate cancer. It was something he initially kept from his kids.
"It wasn't just their age that prevented me from telling them at the time, it was that they had just lost their mother to cancer, so I was not about to tell them I have cancer and then expect that they would understand that there's different types of cancer, different stages, different aggressiveness."
But now that they're getting older, those conversations are happening.
"As my oldest son entered into puberty, I did let him know that I'd had this problem and that we needed to be aware and that, eventually, I would take him to a doctor and we would do some testing and stuff," said Luxenburg.
Luxenburg now meets regularly with other people who are dealing with similar health issues, offering advice and support.
"Knowledge is power and I think that's true, especially within our own health," he said.
Cleveland Clinic says stories like Luxenburg's are important for increasing awareness and sparking dialogue.
You can find the full results of the men's health survey here.
