Movember, a month-long initiative to promote physical and mental health in men, finishes today (Nov. 30).
The first Movember started in Australia in 2003, according to Movember.com and has raised over $749 million for men’s health projects since its inception.
Movember encourages men over the month of November to grow mustaches and carry out fundraising for men’s health.
One of the big goals is to increase awareness around male suicide, which is the second-leading cause of death for men aged 15-34 behind car crashes.
According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, out of the 4,000 deaths by suicide, 75 per cent of those are men.
The Movember website claims that one man will die by suicide every minute of every day and encourages men to open up about their mental health challenges.
Cancer awareness is the other big goal, both testicular cancer and prostate cancer, with 217,0000 men in Canada being diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.
In 2023, prostate cancer will account for 21 per cent of new cancer cases in Canadian men, with an estimated 25,900 diagnoses, according to the Canadian Cancer Society.
Men over 50 are more commonly affected by prostate cancer, whereas testicular cancer is more common in younger men.
Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men under 50, but according to Movember.com, it has a 95 per cent survival rate.
If you feel like you are in crisis or are considering suicide, please call the Crisis Centre BC suicide hotline at 1-800-784-2433.
Other resources include: Canada Suicide Prevention Service at Toll free: 1-833-456-4566. You can also text 45645 or visit the online chat service at crisisservicescanada.ca.
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