“When my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer a few years ago, my first reaction was: holy shit. Obviously, any time you hear the big C word, it gets scary. But then I learned that my grandfather had actually beaten prostate cancer back in the 80s. And the more I read about this disease and how common it is, the more I realized that it is conquerable. As we started on this journey as a family, I gained a lot of appreciation for organizations like Movember.
I’d actually been participating in Movember since before my dad was diagnosed, because it’s such a cool movement and it’s something I really believe in. You’re not just raising money for a good cause, you’re also reminding people and perpetuating a productive conversation. Every year, around two or three weeks into November, I catch people staring at me and smiling. And internally I’m just like, “What the hell? What are you staring at?” Then I remember that, oh yeah, I have this comically large moustache plastered across my face. I love that interaction with people.
I also love that you can keep the moustache right into the holiday season, pack on some weight, throw on an ugly Christmas sweater, and just look fantastic. It’s actually perfect because my grandfather hated facial hair of any kind, and my father always had the biggest bushiest beards and moustaches imaginable. In my dad’s wedding photo he has this totally dope moustache like two caterpillars living on his upper lip. So I think it’s the perfect way to honour him.
It’s not just for other people though, it’s for me too. With this cancer in my family, it would be easy for me to be terrified of my own future. But I see how much the treatment and understanding of prostate cancer has advanced in recent decades thanks to the efforts of organizations like Movember, and it makes it easy to be optimistic. It makes me really happy to know that, by rocking a moustache, I’m helping to fund research and buy more time for so many people now and in the future.”
