32 MEDICAL CONDITIONS THAT KILL MEN ONLY AND NEVER AFFECT WOMEN: Male Sudden Death Syndrome 

By Dayo Adeyemi

 Let me start this devotional with this. Ignorance is never an excuse to die young. A man who neglects his own health signs his death warrant with his own hand.

 Listen, men and women are created biologically similar but they are never the same. No matter how caring you are as a man, you can never know how menstrual pains feel or what morning sickness is to women. Women also can never know how ED is devastating to a man or the psychological trauma of impotence.

When it comes to certain medical conditions, women may hear about it but can never experience it. These 32 medical conditions are unique to men only. Wives may empathize but the truth is he who feels it knows it all alone. This PowerShift Devotional is saying men and women deserve optimal level of empathy because, sicknesses and diseases exert a toll on relationships or individual involved.

 The truth is men are dying suddenly. Too suddenly. The news is common: a man slumps at work, collapses on the football field, dies behind the wheel, or is found lifeless in a hotel room. No warnings, no long sickness, just sudden death. This epidemic has a name: Male Sudden Death Syndrome.

It is more common among men globally. I have been in the ministry to men for over a decade and a half now, I have witnessed many Male Sudden Death Syndrome. I have buried some as a Pastor too.

 I know this pain firsthand. My father died when I was only three months old. My mother became a widow for more than sixty years. I grew up not knowing who he was or ever got a hug from him. You see, he died when I was like three months old.  His early death rewrote my story and that of our family. Every time I see a man refuse to care for his health, I see my father’s shadow. Death cuts short not just a man’s life but his dreams, his responsibilities, his unfinished assignments.

 Here is the hard truth: sickness is not a reward, and death is no badge of honor. A man who refuses to guard his health is not proving strength. He is writing his obituary in advance. Some conditions are hereditary. Some are environmental. But all men can prime their health. Yet many don’t, until they become an emergency case. Why? Because culture has lied to men that toughness means silence, recklessness, and denial. The hustle consumes them. The pressure drives them. They call it “living strong.” But in reality, they are digging their graves with their appetites, their habits, and their pride.

 A few years ago, a promising tech guru in my country died during a sexual encounter with a lady eight years younger. He had taken sex performance-enhancing drugs to prove he was a “real man.” That show of strength became his final act. He never returned home. His coffin became the proof that sexual performance without understanding its medical implications kills.

 Men, hear me: your health is your greatest asset. Not your money. Not your hustle. Not your sexual prowess. Not your influence. If you lose your health, you lose your hustle. You lose years. You leave your wife a widow and your children fatherless. Sad truth, someone else will waste or take over the assets you left behind. A particular street I once lived has about 82 houses left and right of the street. Over 62 of these houses are now owned by widows who have an average age of 55. Whether, the death of their husbands is natural, accident or not, the truth is they went too soon.

 Sir, take care of your body before it takes you out. Go for medical check-ups. Eat like your body matters. Sleep like your soul depends on it. Exercise like your future is tied to it. Pray, yes, but don’t use prayer as a cover for recklessness. Above all, exercise self control in all things consumables. A wise man does not tempt God with negligence. Below is the tabulated list of some of the sicknesses which are exclusive to men only.

 The Catalyst Men Council General warns: “The Man who neglects his health is liable to die any how.” You have been warned. And I echo it with all urgency again; with all thy getting, prime your health. Death terminates all hustle. Legacy withers when death swings its bat. Life continues after a man’s demise, but he no longer has a say in how it continues. Learn to live healthy, lead better and love more.
    The man who cares about his health is a wise man.  
Prayer Point
 Lord, give me hearing ears to care for my health so I may live to fulfill my mission on earth.
Bible Verse “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20, NIV)
 Reflections
Is your health your first stewardship or that of your spouse or workplace?