Podcast: Movember, November – Raising awareness for men’s health

Every November, men grow moustaches and sport them all month long.

That’s because those who participate raise money for prostate cancer research and men’s mental health for the Movember foundation.

According to the Movember website, one in nine Canadian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. Suicide is also the second leading cause of death among Canadian males who are between 15 and 44 years old.

Tyler Watkins, development manager for Movember in Canada, says over five million people have participated in the cause since 2003 and Movember has offices in over 20 countries.

“All of that awareness, all those funds from all those different places and different people getting involved is allowing, you know, more prostate cancer research to be to be done, to come to light, for it to be done in a quicker and more efficient way,” Watkins says.

Laurence Klotz, urologist at Sunnybrook Hospital and a professor at the University of Toronto, says Movember is something that’s really close to his heart.

“In part because of funding from Movember, I’ve made many, many contributions in the field that have had a major impact,” Klotz says. “I got the Order of Canada because of my work in the area.”

He adds that Canada has made many contributions to the cause of Movember and for prostate research.

“Medicine is much less of a business in Canada than it is in the United States,” he says. “So Canadian physicians are very well disposed towards doing clinical research. Patients are very amenable to doing research, to participating in trials, to agree to be randomized. We’ve been incredibly successful in Canada, making major advances in the field and the whole world looks to Canadian research and prostate cancer, as kind of an example.”

Watkins said those who participate this year will have the chance to get their faces displayed on billboards in close, major cities, as part of their Great Canadian Mo Challenge.

“On our Movember Canada Facebook page, you can either nominate yourself or nominate someone that you know is participating in and doing their steps to be a great Mo supporter and we’ll picking 10 winners,” he said.

He adds the organization wouldn’t be where it is today without those who donate, participate or volunteer.

“Our Mo supporters are the reason that we’re here and the reason that we are able to do what we do,” Watkins says. “They’re really the rockstars and everything that’s Movember related. We’re just the roadies for support and to make it as easy and as fun as possible for people to get involved.”

For more information on Movember or to donate, visit ca.movember.ca.

Listen to the podcast below for some more insight into the Movember foundation and the significant impact it continues to have in men’s lives.