I decided to participate, but to be completely honest, I shaved mid-month because I had to present at several formal board meetings, and I couldn’t walk into a board meeting with a MOUSTACHE, right? I did grow my it back again the last two weeks of Movember, but in the end, it just felt a bit half-assed to me. I had come up short on something that was really hitting close to home.
During my second year of growing my Mo, I realized that this was real: that Bruce was terminally ill and not getting better. That my three sons now had a family history of prostate cancer that them at a 1 in 3 chance of being diagnosed in the future. That people can grow a Mo, even at work, and that two good friends were alive because of early detection and treatment of prostate cancer at age 45.
I also realized that my bros and I had never had a PSA blood test or DRE, and we were all squeamish about getting a Digital Rectal Exam, or even talking about it. From that point on, Movember has taken on more meaning and I have worked hard to raise funds and awareness for the cause.
My goal is to get as many Mo Bros on board as I can. I’ve sent thousands of emails, and inspired hundreds of men to grow their Mo’s. My sons have been growing their moustaches with me, spreading awareness of testicular cancer to their friends. We’re talking more openly than we ever did, and that means they’ll be more likely to get their prostates checked too, when they are older.
Our Movember team evolved over the years, as we reached 100 teammates, then split apart, and then came back together as a united super-team. Four years ago, I decided to move beyond the individual and the team in order to spread Movember to our community, so I formed the South Bay Mo Bros with a friend. We presented to the Downtown Business Association and they enthusiastically agreed to support Movember by asking local businesses to place posters in their windows and provide #MovemberSpecials all month long. We hold Shave Parties, a golf tournament (which this year will raise over $50,000) and many other events and specials, with the community supporting us all the way.
I’ve been blessed with an amazingly supportive and generous circle of friends, who’ve helped me to be named the “Mo Mo” (the person who has raised the most money in the US) over the past 7 years, and I’m certainly going to try for an 8-peat, but the real story in 2016 is not about ME, it’s about YOU! If you are reading this, then Movember’s message has touched you too. Please join the millions of Mo Bros and Mo Sistas who’ve funded over 1,200 men’s health projects. We’re changing the face of men’s health, one Mo at a time.
Sandy Goodman, Mo Bro since 2007
Visit Sandy's fundraising page
