“Kissing a man without a moustache is like eating a steak without salt and pepper.” My grandmother!
I don’t like moustaches. They give me the creeps, which is why it’s a really good idea that I have one this November.
November is Men’s Health Awareness Month, with International Men’s Day, falling on the 19th November. You may have heard the term, ‘‘Movember’ – Moustache and November, combined – which was a charity founded in 2003 and happens yearly, now, in many countries around the world.
Because the message is so distinct and well, funny, it seems to have become an anchor for awareness around men’s health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men’s suicide. You can find out more here: Wikipedia. Its purpose is, helping men live happier, healthier, longer lives.
Us men are mostly sh*t at speaking up about things that we deem sensitive or can be judged for, so we rather keep quiet, stick our heads in the sand and hope the problem will go away. It’s not a good strategy.
Here are some stats to consider on the seriousness of the issue we face, from the Movember.com website. The sample is from Canada, and can be used as a rough guideline around the world:
1 in 9 Canadian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime
- Testicular cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in young Canadian men
- In 2019, over 3,050 men died by suicide, nearly 59 men per week
- In Canada, 3 out of 4 deaths by suicide are men
- Suicide is the second leading cause of death among Canadian males aged 15–44 years
My brother was lucky in detecting testicular cancer before it was too late.
My friend, ‘One nut,’ Torsten Koehler, from the amazing charity, Love your Nuts, was lucky too. Why not back him on his current fundraising drive to create a cancer awareness early detection app for testicular cancer here?
Many are not as lucky as these two fine men.
Here are some actions you can take, even one would be great progress for many:
- Book a checkup with your doc for a check of your testicles and prostate. Worried about the potential result? Sure, I always am. But the truth sets us free and ignorance is not bliss, because it weighs on us and doesn’t go away.
- Sex will be better just knowing the result because you will have less on your mind! Women dig men who take responsibility and lead the charge, actually;)
- Call someone you trust and open up to them. You could start with me?
Anything you are willing to commit to? Wanna have a chat?
Happy Movember, and Mojectically yours,
Si.