'Grow a Mo', Save a Bro'

By now, most people have heard of “Movember” and may have even taken part in the symbolic event. This unique, annual event takes place during November, where men from all over the world grow a moustache, to raise awareness for testicular cancer, prostate cancer and also the importance of male mental health for suicide prevention.

The foundation was started by two friends, Travis Garone and Luke Slattery in 2003 where they jokingly decided to bring back a bit of the past through the revival of the moustache! Inspired by a friend’s mother who was fundraising for breast cancer, they managed to get thirty friends to participate in their challenge and the first “mo bros” were born”. Garone and Slattery charged each of the participants $10 and they spent the rest of the month enthusiastically growing out their individual moustaches for cancer awareness. The campaign was so successful, that the two decided to formalise the concept in 2004, taking on board Adam Garone - Travis Garone’s brother - and Justin Coghlan to run the campaign interstate.

Movember encourages male participation in order to increase early cancer detection, diagnosis and effective treatments, and ultimately reduce the number of preventable deaths. Apart from annual check-ups, the Movember Foundation also encourages men to be aware of their own family history of cancer and to adopt a healthier lifestyle. The moustache now serves as the compelling symbol of the movement, standing for the advocacy of men’s health. Since 2003, Movember has funded over 1,250 men’s health projects around the world, challenging stereotypes, shaking up men’s health research and changing the way health services reach out to and support men.

The topic of suicide has always been extremely complex, but Movember aims to tackle the issue by helping men establish better social connections and improving their mental health. By 2030, they aim to reduce male suicide rates by 25%.

Globally, more than 1.3 million men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year. By 2030, using innovation and collaboration, the foundation aims to halve the number of men dying from prostate cancer, and the number of men facing serious ongoing side effects from treatment. By uniting researchers and experts across the world to chase down breakthroughs in prostate cancer, they hope to battle this serious issue.

Movember works to help men easily identify the signs, symptoms and risk factors of testicular cancer in order to get a better grip on early detection. Moreover, they want to make sure that these men and their families have access to services and support despite where they might live. The Movember foundation is constantly influencing governments to provide affordable treatment and to get new treatments into practice faster.

At the heart of it, Movember is about raising awareness for a serious issue that sometimes doesn’t get the coverage that it needs. Prostate cancer is the malignant growth of cells in the prostate gland. The American Cancer Society says that one in every 9 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, which emphasises the importance of awareness around male wellbeing . Education is always our most powerful tool and we should use it to save lives wherever possible. So, in the spirit of Movember, let’s not forget the infamous tagline: “Grow a Mo, save a Bro.”

Charlotte Rodney 12E