You may remember my April 2008 post soliciting support for Amy Cook and Jess Allison in their respective cancer awareness projects. Today I’m posting about my son’s Movember mustache.
My 9 year old son is growing a mustache this November to help promote prostate and testicular cancer awareness (well, cancer awareness in general, but Movember has a men’s health slant.)
Jay is doing this both for the fun of it and because he recognizes the importance of the cause. Although he is unaware of just how closely prostate cancer has come into his life, he knows what is right… and he knows that all his male relatives, friends, and friend’s relatives are at risk. As he said in his “motivation” quote… he wants to be sure that there’s more knowledge about it for everyone’s sake.
Here are some of the basic facts:
- Besides skin cancer, prostate cancer is the msot common cancer to afflict American males, with nearly 200,000 new cases diagnosed each year.
- About 1 in every 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, and 1 of every 35 men (of every 35 men overall, not 35 men diagnosed) will die from prostate cancer.
- With early detection, treatment, and good health habits, survival rates for men are pretty good – recent numbers from the American Cancer Society suggest a 10-year survival rate of over 90% and a 15-year survival rate of around 75%. The key words there are “detection” and “treatment.”
If you told someone they had a 1 in 6 chance of winning a car or that their kid had a 1 in 6 chance of becoming president, they’d be thrilled. Most people consider those “good odds.”
Well, every American male has those same “good odds” of getting prostate cancer. The good news is that through increasing awareness, we can help make that less and less of a death sentence.
I’m proud of my son for a great many things. Today, I can add to that list the fact that he recognized that he could and should help save lives. And that’s exactly what he’s doing. The fact that people he loves are included in that, is just a bonus.
1 in 6… think about that. Someone you know and care about probably will (if they haven’t already) contracted the disease. They may have it and be undiagnosed. Or, they may have it and simply not told you. Or.. maybe you know and are helping them… well… survive. Hopefully not just “survive” but “live life” with zeal and passion. But either way, the point is it’s one of those things that isn’t talked about much. Movember helps to change that.
I’m not sure what kind of mustache Jay will be rocking come December 1. Haha, to be honest, I’m not even sure how a mustache in 4th grade would be received. But, I know he’s already done something special and I think he’s going to have fun spreading the word this month and long afterward.
If you are interested in making a donation to the Movember Foundation and supporting Jay’s team, you can visit this link:
http://us.movember.com/mospace/210491/
From there, you can also get more information about the overall project, where they money goes, how it all started, etc., .
You may notice that Jay’s joined the team of Paul Goebel, the King of TV (a.k.a. the “TV Geek” from “Beat the Geeks”). I have to admit, I suggested picking that team… but when Jay was a toddler, he would watch Beat the Geeks with my wife and I and go “geeeeeeek…. geeeeex…. beee da geeeeeex,” so I consider this all just part of him fulfilling his destiny.
Whether you make a donation or not, please do take a moment to explore the site and consider what you can do to help “change the face of men’s health.”
Thank you.
Contributed by: Scott Copperman
Tags: By Scott Copperman