Movember!

Many have heard of the November mustache, or even witnessed and mocked one on a brother, father or friend. And while it may be enjoyable to sit back, relax and taunt the monstrosity growing under your loved one’s nose, the Movember movement actually plays a critical role in the fight for men's’ health. The Movember movement began with the Movember Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping three main aspects of men’s health. Specifically, they raise money and awareness to fight testicular and prostate cancer, which both solely affect men and claim a total of 30,400 lives a year. According to their website, one in nine men are diagnosed with prostate cancer, and testicular cancer is the most common cancer in young men. The second issue they focus on is men’s mental health. With three out of five suicides globally being committed by men, this is an extremely noteworthy and important cause. The idea is that one starts November completely clean shaven and grows a mustache over the course of the entire month that serves as the perfect conversation starter to get people to donate. Movember is a way to raise awareness for all of the three aforementioned issues. Through this, all of the funds raised are donated to TrueNTH and Global Academic Problems (GAP). TrueNTH is an organization that provides support and information to men with testicular and prostate cancer, as well as a community men can reach out to. GAP is a research initiative working to combat the toughest challenges in testicular and prostate cancer. Clearly, this cause is worth supporting, which is where the mustaches get involved. If you’re concerned about the process, or simply do not know where to start, the Movember Foundation website Movember.com  has a complete list of all the things one must do to grow the perfect Movember mustache, starting with a mustache guide to help you decide which style to rock this November. They also include motivational messages to help you get through the month. “Remind yourself that men have endured worse in the past. You can stand a little face tickle,” the website guide reads. If growing a mustache is not for you, there are many more ways for individuals to get involved. One can decide to participate in Move for Movember, which is a commitment to walk or run 60 miles over the course of the month. That’s 60 miles for the 60 men lost each hour, every hour. One can also host a Moment, a friendly event that encourages attendees to donate to the cause. Either way, just because you can’t grow a mustache this November does not mean you can not help end the suffering of men everywhere. Encourage others you know who are capable of joining in on the Movember movement to participate or explore the other options to get involved this November.