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Donate locally to Movember Men’s Health.
Over the past decade, a growing network of organizations has transformed the month of November into a hair-raising experience for a noble cause.
In New York City, for example, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, now aka Mayor Mustache, has basked in the national spotlight this month as a symbol for the value of Movember, a monthlong awareness campaign targeting men's health generally and prostate cancer specifically. Like legions of other men worldwide, he shaved off his signature beard to instead sport a growing mustache. To boot, he just announced a $4 million investment for a new prostate cancer center in the Big Apple.
Closer to home, groups like Man Up Mahoning Valley and the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity at Youngstown State use the 11th month of the year to urge men of all ages, races and backgrounds to throw their razors to the increasingly chilly wind, grow some facial hair and join the public-spirited and health-conscious observance of Movember.
According to Man Up, the message of the month is simple: "Grow a Stache, Start a Conversation, Save a Life."
Movember [mustache merged into November] is designed to change the face of men's health by raising awareness of some of the most debilitating guy-focused health problems, specifically prostate cancer. That variety is the most common form of cancer in men in the Mahoning Valley.
This monthlong observance aims to increase early cancer detection, diagnosis and effective treatments, and ultimately reduce the number of preventable deaths.
Sadly, the American Cancer Society predicts 333,830 new cases of it this year and an estimated 36,320 prostate cancer deaths by year's end. The number of cases is predicted to skyrocket now through mid-century as baby boomers and Gen X'ers come of prime age for the disease.
In the Valley, the case for enhanced awareness and increased action holds true as well. According to the most recent data from the Ohio Department of Health, the prostate cancer incidence rate for men exceeds the national average in both Mahoning and Trumbull counties.
Nonetheless, early detection and routine diagnoses can prevent prostate cancer from morphing into a killer. In fact, the American Cancer Society reports that if detected early, the cure rate for the disease stands at 98%. That should be reason enough to heed Man Up's advice to never fear the physician's probing finger.
Unfortunately, for many otherwise fearless men, such exams are like the plague. In fact, the ranks of scaredy cats have soared in recent years, according to a disturbing trend reported by the Ohio Department of Health. Over the past decade, the number of men receiving screenings has dropped significantly - from 45% in 2014 to around 32% today.
Reversing that trend illustrates the value of maximum awareness and of Movember activism.
Statistics offered by the Mercy Health Foundation illustrate the debilitating toll prostate cancer inflicts on men in the region. Consider:
One in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The Valley's African-American males, like black Americans nationwide, are more than twice as likely to die from prostate cancer than any other race.
Less than 50 percent of all men in the Valley had a digital rectal exam performed within the past year that could provide an early diagnosis and cure.
Such data cry out for the need for robust support for the monthlong campaign. Men and women alike can choose a variety of ways to help.
First, they can take part in the hair-growing campaign that also includes fundraising and good-natured fun and competition among stache growers in families, factories and offices. Leading the way in the Mahoning Valley this year is the SAE fraternity, which is midway through a month of special awareness activities, mustache growing and community fundraising. To support its fundraising goal of $5,000, visit Movember.com and select the Youngstown State team.
One of the best ways for men to actively support the awareness month, however, is simply to transform awareness into action. Call your doctor today to schedule a painless and speedy prostate exam. When detected early, such cancers are totally treatable and largely curable.
The life you save, after all, may be your own.