Friday, November 2 2012
Facing You Naked--For a Good Cause
Today I'd like to speak to you from the bottom of my heart. Well, from the bottom of something anyway: I'd like to talk about your prostate.
Now, you may say, 'Tim, I'm a woman, and I do not have one. What could we possibly discuss?' And that's a fair comment. But while you may not have one of your own, somebody you know, and quite possibly somebody you love has one. And as a society we need to talk about them. If you or the men in your life are like my family, discussing one's plumbing or even acknowledging it was never The Done Thing.
And that's where the danger lies. Prostate cancer affects almost everyone you know, from your brothers and uncles, your fathers, sons, husbands and all of the friends you have and the ones you haven't met yet. And it's not just prostate issues that affect men's health. From movember.com:
- The average life expectancy for men is four to five years less than women.
- 1 in 4 Canadians are expected to die from cancer.
- 1 in 7 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.
- In 2012, 26,500 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in men and 4,000 will lose their battle.
- 1 in 4 cancer patients experience clinical depression
- Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in Canadian males between the ages of 15 and 29.
- Tobacco is the single most preventable cause of cancer in Canada, responsible for over 37,000 death annually.
- 1 in every 11 men will develop lung cancer.
- While not as common, men can get breast cancer. About 200 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed among men and about 55 men will die from the disease.
- More than 75,000 cases of non-melanoma skin cancer are diagnosed each year in Canada.
- An estimated 6.6% of the population over the age of 20 has diabetes in Canada.
- Approximately 6 million Canadian adults have high blood pressure, representing 19% of the adult population; 17% are unaware of their condition. Even 30 year olds can have high blood pressure!
- 1 in 5 of Canadians will personally experience a mental illness each year
- Four times as many men commit suicide compared with women
So what can we do? It sure can't help to throw a little money the way of men's health. To that end, I've joined up with Movember. From their site:
During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in Canada and around the world. With their “Mo’s”, these men raise vital funds and awareness for men's health, specifically prostate cancer and male mental health initiatives.
On Movember 1st, guys register at Movember.com with a clean-shaven face. For the rest of the month, these selfless and generous men, known as Mo Bros, groom, trim and wax their way into the annals of fine moustachery. Supported by the women in their lives, Mo Sistas, Movember Mo Bros raise funds by seeking out sponsorship for their Mo-growing efforts.
Mo Bros effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November. Through their actions and words, they raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health.
And here is what I've done:
Looks normal enough, right?
Surprise!
Man, do I feel naked. But it's for a good cause. And I hope my blog readers will help out: you can check out my Movember donation page and contribute to me and my team. The money will go to men's health, and I'll post a picture of my re-growing mo every day to my Facebook page so you can see my progress. As an added bonus I've made a video of my shaving adventures which you can view here: My First Shave.
We all get asked to donate a lot these days, and there are many deserving causes. I feel this one personally, both for the friends and family who are directly affected, and by the way it affects their loved ones. If you can contribute, I'd love it, but in any case, rest assured that I'm growing it back as fast as I can!
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