Movember to help men focus on their health
GALLOWS Hill Traffic Department in Green Point was all abuzz yesterday as traffic officers and firefighters gathered to shave their faces to embark on a month-long “Movember” challenge to raise funds and awareness of men’s health issues.
About 13 officers and three firefighters had moustache and head shaves yesterday as adherents, who call themselves “Bros”, are required to have a clean shave on November 1, and then grow a moustache throughout the month as a sign of their support for the campaign. Their groomed moustaches then effectively becomes a walking, talking billboard to advertise the 30 days of “Movember”.
Highlighting the campaign’s link with raising funds for and creating awareness around men’s health, Movember’s social media manager Kai Linder said: “It started among friends in Australia who lost a friend to prostate cancer and wanted to raise money and awareness about the plight of men facing all kinds of cancer.
“But we broadened it to include general men’s health and mental wellness.”
All the monies collected in the campaign goes to the Movember Foundaton in the UK, and from there is distributed to research grants and charities that fight cancer.
Firefighter Timothy Hart from Hout Bay Fire Station and a former testicular cancer sufferer, came for a haircut at Gallows yesterday to show support for Movember.
He said he had just finished an Argus Cycle Tour two years ago when he noticed a weird sensation of sensitive nipples and his one testicle taking on an abnormal shape.
“It took me three days to pluck up the courage to see my doctor, and four days after the consultation I went for an operation to remove the tumour,” he added.
Following chemotherapy sessions the cancer cleared up, said Hart, who added that he now goes for regular blood tests and CT Scans.
He said if he could encourage just one person to have regular cancer check-ups he would probably save lives.
Assistant Traffic chief Paul Oliver at Gallows Hill supported the campaign by having a haircut and beard shave.
“It’s a great experience to see men coming together regarding men’s health,” he said.
His colleague Assistant Traffic Chief Jody Pillay, who also had a moustache shave and haircut, said: “It’s a wonderful campaign in support of cancer awareness and geneeral men’s health and well-bein.”
Highlighting men’s health, a press release from the Movember campaign points out that 23 men commit suicide daily, with over 200 men attempting suicide a day in SA. Globally, 510 000 men die from suicide each year – one every minute.
On average five South African men will die from prostate cancer every day, and one in 29 men are at risk of developingtesticular cancer.