Movember

5 December 2012Lauren A, Allard ‘13

November is not just a month of cold, rainy weather; it is also a month for spreading awareness and growing facial hair. Movember is a global movement that spreads awareness and raises funds for prostate cancer and male mental health.

The campaign began in Melbourne, Australia and became popular quite quickly rising to incredible numbers of participants in countries all over the world: it is a truly inspiring global movement. The main motive for creating the campaign was to educate men on their potential health risks and by doing so, increase chances of early detection in order to access treatment as quickly as possible.

Prostate cancer has affected a disturbingly high number of men. The Canadian Cancer Society states that prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among Canadian men. One in seven males in Canada will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime; one in twenty-eight will die of it. That is a shockingly high statistic and needs to be prevented. By increasing early detection and spreading awareness about the cause, death rates will decrease and many families will be saved the grief of losing their much-loved men.

Brentwood began fundraising and spreading awareness for the cause in 2010 when Head Prefect, Daniel Hilhorst, led the initiative. Back then it was held in January and was called “Manuary,” but it was moved to the month of November the next year so Brentwood could participate at the same time as the rest of the world.

Brentwood’s ever-jovial, Deputy Head of School, Mr. John Allpress, is a prostate cancer survivor and he gave an inspiring speech to the boys who participated. He began by saying that “growing a mustache is more than you think; it shows your compassion for the cause.” Mr. Allpress has been directly affected by prostate cancer by fighting it himself, as well as watching his father pass away from the disease. His strong words empowered the boys to spread the cause further, and understand what growing a mustache for this cause really means. Finishing the speech with a reminder that early detection is key, Mr. Allpress expressed the importance of regular checkups to prevent the cancer from getting past the early stages.

Rafay C, an active member of the Grad Class of 2013, took over the reins of the cause at Brentwood this November. Rafay spoke about Movember at several assemblies and highlighted the importance of fundraising and participating in any way possible at Brentwood. “Our bar was set to reach $1000 and we have well exceeded that” Rafay said when describing the school’s fundraising progress. Scott R alone raised $385 and Mr. Allpress also pledged a significant amount.

Prostate cancer is another challenge the world must face and conquer. By bringing Movember to Brentwood, we have spread the word and stressed the importance of preventing this disease from progressing further. Due to increased early detection, death rates and severe cases have decreased. So spread the Movember campaign to family and friends in order to keep our beloved males in good health Lauren A, Allard ‘13

Where Students Choose To Be