As the wheels turned, so did the gears in my head. Admittedly, a lot of my mental capacity was dedicated to thinking about how much my ass hurt, how I wished I learned how to properly shift before beginning the ride, and how (in retrospect) I probably didn’t need that third breakfast taco at 6:00 AM.
In between these thoughts I also had some time to think about: why do I participate in Movember?
When I first started participating in Movember seven years ago the answer was simple: it was fun. It was a good excuse to grow a moustache and was a way for us to get involved, give back, and not have to wake up on a Saturday morning to help mulch a community garden in downtown Easton (mulching is the worst).
As the years went on I started looking deeper into Movember’s mission and I was motivated by some of the alarming statistics that I saw:
- 1 out of 7 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer
- Testicular cancer is the most common form of cancer men 15-35,
- Men die on average 6 years earlier than women,
- 3 out of every 4 suicides are by men.
When I see those statistics, I don’t see numbers.
I see my teammates, friends, and fraternity brothers and realize you don’t have to be a math major to see that prostate cancer is going to have an impact on far too many of our lives. I see my nephew Anthony who, due to congenital birth defect, is now more likely to be diagnosed with testicular cancer. I see my dad and think about how scared I was this summer when as my mom called me from the hospital trying to explain the difference between an angina and a heart attack.
And, perhaps more than anything else, I think about my brother. I think about his wife and their two beautiful daughters. And I think about a day almost 10 years ago when he called me into his room where he was standing with a razor blade in his hand and he told me he had been sitting in his bathtub thinking about taking his own life.
I think about the power of one conversation. Of creating a world where men feel comfortable talking about their health, taking action when it’s needed, and as a result go on to live happier, healthier, and longer lives.
The moustache is the symbol of the Movember campaign, but the conversations that it creates are the lifeblood of what we do. That conversation changed my brother’s life, my life, and the lives of so many others my brother has gone on to impact since he spent years getting mentally healthy.
Too many men don’t have this conversation when something isn’t right and as a result are dying too early. You may not grow the best moustache, think it’s creepy, or hate the way it feels; but if that moustache starts one conversations about men’s health, raises one dollar to help fund research, or causes one man to get active or see a doctor - then this Movember was a success.
As we are less than 2 weeks away from the kick-off of the campaign, I’m asking each and everyone one of you to consider participating in Movember this year. Think about your fathers, brothers, sons, grandfathers, uncles, boyfriends, nephews, and friends. Think about honoring those that we’ve lost, think about inspiring those going through their fight, and think about creating a better future where men no longer feel they have to suffer silently.
If you’re just looking for an excuse to grow a moustache, that’s okay. If you only sign up because your friend won’t stop harassing you until you do, super understandable. But if you truly want to change the face of men’s health, think about why you’d participate and (whether you publicly share that story or not) let it drive every conversation you have, every dollar you raise, and every bit of change you create.
The Movember community has millions of global participants, we’ve raised over $650 million, and funded 1000 world-class men’s health programs. We’ve come a long way since a conversations in a bar, but I know we still have a long way to go to create the world that I envision.
Please help support the Movember Foundation by giving, growing, or moving with us this year.
We all have our personal connection to the cause, what’s yours?
United We Mo,
Doug Prusoff
Visit my Mo Space here: mobro.co/DougPrusoff
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