Millions of men from around the world, including in Ottawa, have bid farewell to their razors for this month.
That’s because for Movember, they’re growing moustaches to raise awareness for men’s health.
Since its start in 2003, the Movember movement has gained momentum. Today, the phenomenon is supported globally by celebrities and athletes.
However, seeing athletes involved in Movember is even more significant than actors, singers or politicians – it shows that it’s OK for even a “manly man” to talk about health issues.
Locally, sports teams like the Ottawa Senators are behind the movement.
It’s been a year now that the topic hits closer to home for the capital’s NHL team. General manager, Bryan Murray was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer in 2014.
The 72 year old helped break the stigma around men’s health last year by discussing his cancer battle on TSN At first, he said he didn’t want to go public but told TSN that he wants to promote regular colonoscopies since a screening test would have caught his cancer earlier. He said he never got one done and wants other men to learn from his mistake.
Society teaches men that in order to be masculine they need to focus on their careers and abuse their bodies, says Dr. Dean Elterman in his Globe and Mail column. This is why men tend to neglect their health-care needs.
But after Murray’s TSN interview, many have taken charge of their health and gone for screenings.
Brad Shaw, the associate coach for the St. Louis Blues, was one of them.
His doctors detected and removed a growth from his colon that could’ve been dangerous if left alone.
Murray has done more than just get men to go see their doctors, he’s also demonstrated that life goes on even with an illness.
It’s been 16 months since he’s been diagnosed but you can still find him at the Canadian Tire Centre hard at work.
Murray’s story is just one example of how athletes or men in the sports industry can lower the stigma around men’s health. Both the Ottawa Senators and Ottawa 67’s will be growing moustaches to support the cause.
We live in a society where “real men” are still associated with being tough. This is why it’s so important for male athletes to talk about health issues. By doing so, they prove that even those who are deemed masculine and strong can have weaknesses and they aren’t lesser men if they talk about it.
That’s the main message behind the Movember campaign.
According to their website, testicular cancer is the most common cancer in Canadian men aged 15 to 29 and one in eight Canadian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.
Although, Movember is expanding – it’s not just about men’s physical health but also mental health.
According to the Movember Foundation three out of four suicide deaths in Canada are men.
The male suicide rate in the country is a silent epidemic according to a 2011 article in the B.C. Medical Journal by Dr. Dan Bilsker and Jennifer White. The article explains that the lack of public awareness, medical research on the specific topic, and men’s reluctance to seek help all contribute to why more men than women commit suicide.
And, the only way to make sure the silence doesn’t endure is for everyone to become part of the conversation, athletes and all.