Let’s celebrate the men of Movember. While October is usually covered in pink for Breast Cancer Awareness, November is covered in mustaches for Men’s Health Awareness.
Movember is an organization dedicated to changing the face of men’s health. Any man who participates, Mo Bro’s as they are known, has to grow a mustache in November, and use it as a way to generate a discussion about men’s health and to raise funds for prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health.
This is something that hits close to home. In the past four years, my husband has gone through both Stage 1 and 2 of testicular cancer. We’re lucky, Chris’ form of testicular cancer has a high cure rate and we feel confident that he will stay healthy now.
But curing cancer has just as much to do with seeking treatment as getting the treatment. Movember is not just about funding programs, it’s about educating men and letting them know it’s ok to go to a Doctor and ask about concerns. It’s a matter of changing men’s attitudes about seeking help. Something else that I am painfully aware of because my brother died from stage 4 lung cancer last December. He hadn’t gone to a Doctor since he got out of school, almost 40 years ago and no one could convince him to do it. Healthcare is only only as good as the next Doctor visit.
Events like Movember are important reminders that when it comes to health, being a man doesn’t mean working through the pain. It means being aware of your body and being able to talk to your Doctor about any concerns.
