Movember
Movember: Making a Difference in Men's Health
Movember is a nonprofit organization that raises money and awareness for men's health. They strive to better the standard of living for men all over the world.
By: Tyler Stinson
Joel Laing is a hardworking outdoorsman from Uxbridge, Ontario. He enjoys hiking, fishing, camping, while still maintaining a job in the business world. While in University, his close friend Cam, who struggled with anxiety, committed suicide. This inspired many people from his community to create an organization called Cam's Kids which helps young adults struggling with anxiety.
Laing plays an active role in both Cam’s Kids as an ambassador, and in Movember as a fundraiser. For the past 3 years Laing has grown a mustache and raised money for the cause.
Movember
is a nonprofit organization with the main goal of raising money for men’s health.
The main three areas that they focus on include prostate cancer, testicular
cancer, and mental health and suicide prevention. They are a current leading
charity changing the future of men’s health. Their goal is by 2030 to reduce
the amount of men dying prematurely by 25%.
The
organization was created in 2003 by two friends in Melbourne, Australia named Travis Garone and Luke Slattery. They sat
down at a bar and discussed how the trend of having a mustache had grown out of
style. They joked about bringing it back but were quickly inspired by a friend’s
mother who was fundraising for breast cancer. They loved the idea, but decided
to do it for another purpose, men’s health. They got 30 people to grow
mustaches with them the first year, and the company just grew from there.
Since
their emergence in the world in 2003, Movember has funded over 1,250 men’s
health projects in 20 different countries. They have partnered with 20
different men’s health organizations and have begun to transform the way men’s
health research is conducted, and how health services reach and support men.
Laing's Story:
Laing promotes his efforts through his social media where he posts a yearly video about his mustache's development over the month of November.
“I strongly believe Movember is a very unique and powerful fundraiser
considering its simplicity," said Laing.
"There is so much more to supporting a good cause
than just raising money. People typically overlook its most powerful trait, it
starts a conversation."
He explained that it pushes people to work together to solve a problem that is a lot larger than most may understand.
Laing is a great example of someone
who noticed a serious issue and saw the fun in it.
“I don’t grow because I look
good with a mustache,” Joel said, “I do it because people see how ridiculous I look,
and it often sparks a conversation.”
The small sacrifice
of looking silly for a month has quickly caught on and can even be seen within High Point University students.
Why I Grow:
For a closer look, HPU students explained their personal reasoning's for growing a mustache every year. To hear their stories, click here: Why I Grow
Movember works with leading researchers to identify key research areas that will best help address the issue. They have helped develop diagnostic tests called biomarkers that will help optimize treatment decisions for prostate cancer patients. Movember funded research even discovered that men have a genetic “fingerprint” within their prostate cancer cells. This will allow doctors to create a more specific treatment plan for men which will help avoid overtreatment and side effects.
An organization that they have created to help with prostate cancer research is the IRONMAN registry. IRONMAN is an international registry of 5,000 men with advanced prostate cancer across ten countries. Their goal is to understand clinical outcomes of treatments and to understand biological diversity of the disease. The registry collects patient’s medical history, treatment information, and even blood samples. They also have their patients take health surveys to measure their quality of life over time. By collecting this information, they will better understand which treatments offer the best outcomes for men with advanced prostate cancer and will share that information with patients and doctors around the world.
In the
United States prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men. Across
the country there are more than 3 million men living with or beyond the
disease. Many of whom are still dealing with serious side effects from chemotherapy
treatment. Movember’s goal is to halve both the number of men dying from
prostate cancer, and those facing side effects from their treatment.
The
prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that is responsible for the
production of semen and nourishment of sperm. It is located just below the
bladder and in front of the rectum, surrounding part of the urethra.
One out
of every seven American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their
lifetime. In almost all these cases, the cancer will begin in the gland cells
of the prostate called the adenocarcinoma.
Some
prevention efforts include: being warry of your age as it is more common amongst
men over 50, knowing your family’s health history, understanding that African
American men are almost two times as likely to develop the disease, and that having
a high fat diet can make you more at risk.
Symptoms of the disease include: painful or
burning urination, difficulty in urination, weak or interrupted urine flow, blood
in the urine or semen, continual pain in lower back, pelvis, hips or thighs,
and difficulty getting an erection.
Testicular Cancer:
Will Hurley, a member of the men's lacrosse team at High Point University, had a friend
who was personally effected by testicular cancer. He explained that at his high school they do an annual event called the Ms. Four Diamonds pageant. Here they pick 10 boys from the senior class to participate in the pageant to walk the runway in dresses with the goal of raising money for pediatric cancer. Hurley and his friend were both selected for the pageant, but in the weeks leading up to the event he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.
"He did not have to pay anything for his treatment because a foundation like The Four Diamonds pared for all of the expenses," said Hurley.
Now, Hurley grows a mustache every November to support those struggling with testicular cancer. He saw first hand what the disease can do to someone and takes pride in raising money for Movember every year.
It is organizations like The Four Diamonds that makes living with testicular cancer more bearable. Movember provides funding to another organization called TrueNTH Testicular Cancer. This is a website that aims to bring resources to men who are facing a diagnosis and early testicular cancer treatment. They deliver information to men to help them understand the early stages of treatment and provide them with opportunities to connect with survivors who have been through similar experiences. It also allows them to seek advice from experts in the field of testicular cancer.
It provides information regarding the disease written in a language that resonates with most people. Their goal is for people struggling with testicular cancer to have a community to reach out to, and to provide the proper information to understand the specifics of the disease.
Will Hurley, a member of the men's lacrosse team at High Point University, had a friend
who was personally effected by testicular cancer. He explained that at his high school they do an annual event called the Ms. Four Diamonds pageant. Here they pick 10 boys from the senior class to participate in the pageant to walk the runway in dresses with the goal of raising money for pediatric cancer. Hurley and his friend were both selected for the pageant, but in the weeks leading up to the event he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.
"He did not have to pay anything for his treatment because a foundation like The Four Diamonds pared for all of the expenses," said Hurley.
Now, Hurley grows a mustache every November to support those struggling with testicular cancer. He saw first hand what the disease can do to someone and takes pride in raising money for Movember every year.
It is organizations like The Four Diamonds that makes living with testicular cancer more bearable. Movember provides funding to another organization called TrueNTH Testicular Cancer. This is a website that aims to bring resources to men who are facing a diagnosis and early testicular cancer treatment. They deliver information to men to help them understand the early stages of treatment and provide them with opportunities to connect with survivors who have been through similar experiences. It also allows them to seek advice from experts in the field of testicular cancer.
It provides information regarding the disease written in a language that resonates with most people. Their goal is for people struggling with testicular cancer to have a community to reach out to, and to provide the proper information to understand the specifics of the disease.
Testicular
cancer is the most common cancer in young American men today. While the cancer
has a 95% survival rate, that leaves no comfort for the 1 unlucky man in the 20
who does not make it.
Testicles
are responsible for the production and storage if sperm. They are also the main
source of male hormones which control the development of the reproductive
organs and the overall male characteristics.
Testicular
cancer occurs when cells in the testicles grow and multiply uncontrollably, which
damages surrounding tissue and interferes with the normal function of the
testicles. There are two types of cancerous tumors that can be found in the testicles.
These are germ cell tumors which occur in the cells that produce sperm, and stromal tumors which occur in the testicular
tissue where hormones are produced.
Risk
factors involved with testicular cancer include: your age as most cases occur between
ages 15 and 40, race because white men are five to 10 times more likely to develop
the cancer than men of other races, family history of testicular cancer, undescended testicles, Klinefelter syndrome, and
HIV or AIDS.
Symptoms
of Testicular cancer include: small, hard lump in the testicles, feeling
heaviness in the scrotum, pain in abdomen or groin, fluid in the scrotum,
testicle or scrotum pain, loss of sexual desire, growth of facial hair at an
abnormally young age, lower back pain if the cancer spreads.
Mental Health and Suicide
Prevention:
Clayton Krol, a student at High Point University, has seen first hand the issues that mental illness can cause. His brother has struggled throughout his life with depression, and has seen a therapist for years now.
"Sometimes it seemed like he would come back from the doctors worse than he was before going in," said Krol.
He explained that he felt like the therapists did not know how to handle his brothers situation. This is why he grows a mustache every year. He sees the strides that Movember is taking to educate doctors on how to deal with men's mental health and enjoys helping them help others.
Movember looks at mental health through the lens of a man. They focus on prevention, early intervention and health promotion. They are striving to achieve a world where men act to be mentally healthy and look for support from those around them. Their goal is by 2030 to reduce the rate of male suicide by 25%.
Movember is in the process of creating its own mental health training program to educate people about risks and treatments in the mental health field. The vision of their project is to be the top training resource for clinicians across the world. They want to stress the importance the following: understanding the specific needs and preferences of men, training clinicians to understand how masculinity influences men’s mental health, increase the confidence and competence of clinicians dealing with men effected by mental illness, and to improve the outcomes of men when they seek help and take action.
Approximately 50% of people who commit suicide have been treated in the month prior to their death. Many of these people do not receive the help that they need, often due to a lack of training on the side of clinicians. With Movember’s new program it will teach the clinicians proper techniques and change the way that men are treated for their mental illnesses.
Globally,
the amount of suicide amongst men is alarmingly high with 6 out of 10 suicides
being men. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 10-34
in the United States and the suicide rate has increased by 31% since 2001.
While
suicide is a huge issue, mental health includes much more than that. Before someone
commits suicide, they often deal with anxiety, depression, confidence issues,
etc. It has become a very common problem in today’s society, especially with
men. Learning how to treat these mental health illnesses, and how to cope with
them if you are struggling is something that Movember looks to improve.
Resources:
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