I’m in the middle of my annual #Movember, growing a moustache to draw attention to (and maybe even raise money for) men’s health issues.
And as always, the Mo is starting to take shape, although this year’s ‘tache is much greyer than in years gone bye.
But it’s about more than just adorning my top lip with some fuzzy fur – it’s about paying homage to all the men who’ve had an influence in my life – and encouraging everyone to take care of their health.
As I say in my #Movember page, “My dad had prostate cancer, and survived for a decade .. but many men don’t .. and all kids deserve more time with their dads.”
I also have a best friend – a ‘brother from a different mother’ – who has long been a victim of the “black dog”, depression .. and who has to be constantly aware of his state-of-mind (and the state of his meds) to stay on top.
Then there’s a former colleague, and a relative-by-marriage, both of whom have suffered from testicular cancer – not an issue that men ever want to talk about!
But talk about it, we must.
Because, fellas, these issues won’t go away, no matter how assiduously we avoid them.
Have you been for a checkup recently?
Do it – and do it now.
Because we’ll miss you, when you’re gone.
It’s nearly three years since my dad died, succumbing to pneumonia.
He had, as I mentioned, suffered from prostate cancer 20 years earlier – but after treatment, it was in abeyance – so his decision to get treatment gave us, his family, two more decades of his presence.
And while the final few years of his life were marked by dementia and lymphatic cancer, he was (and remains) the lynch-pin around which my personality was formed.
And I still think of him nearly every day.
So guys, please – look after your health. Get a checkup, and maybe check the links below, as well.
https://www.andrologyaustralia.org/booklets/testicular-cancer/
Cairns Communications 