As they say in the card game euchre, "I'm going alone!"
Moustaches are not something that very many people are comfortable with. Men, women, and especially children do not appreciate the presence of lip whiskers that don't belong to the family cat.
My Estevan mo buddy has moved away and publisher Brant Kersey is attempting to grow a majestic beard and maybe start wearing plaid exclusively so he can move into the woods to get in touch with the wilderness. As the only Movember participant from our office, there's a lot of responsibility on my shoulders, not only to fundraise but also to grow a mo worthy of representing the six men in our office.
Movember has branched out and extended its reach since it first started. Originally a month-long campaign to raise funds and awareness in regards to prostate cancer and depression, it has since grown to incorporate mens' health issues in a much more general sense.
You see, men are stubborn. Men don't even know about men's health issues. We don't care, because we're a pretty gruff group, and we can tolerate all kinds of bodily annoyances before going to a medical professional to ask the Bugs Bunny of all questions: "What's up, doc?"
We actually do need to raise awareness for the sake of men everywhere. The word has to get out far and wide enough to inspire men who otherwise shrug off things they think will just work themselves out and go away on their own to actually get that minor annoyance checked out.
I'm a bad example. I don't have a doctor. I haven't had one since moving to Estevan and didn't have one since I stopped being a student. I rationalize because I'm 26, and 26-year-olds are healthy. It's one of the perks of being younger than 30. Of course, that's just a bunch of bunk, but I use that excuse and avoid my annual meet and greet with the doctor because that would be a minor inconvenience in my busy life.
This isn't an isolated case. While I may be alone in the office wearing a moustache for the entire month, I'm not alone when it comes to men refusing to see a doctor regularly.
I've heard guys say they don't need to see a doctor because they know their body. They know their body better than any doctor ever could. They live in their body everyday. They know what's best, what they can handle and when something is really wrong.
But while our bodies are great about telling us when we're touching something hot, stepping on something sharp or had way too much to drink the night previous, these things we live in don't always have the starkest of warning systems in place to tell us we are developing heart disease, prostate cancer or countless other slow-building problems and silent killers.
Silent killers are silent because there's no warning, and there will be no warning if we don't have someone with a little bit of expertise about the human body poking and prodding us each year.
That's what Movember is about. That's why we grow moustaches every November. It's a reminder for men everywhere to go see a doctor and get a full body scan or accept any test your doctor wants to run. Do it all. Submit to being your doctor's guinea pig for a few minutes each year.
To the Mo Sistas out there, bother your husbands, fathers, sons and significant others until they stumble into a doctor's office. Drive them there if you have to. Hold their hands if they're too scared, and offer them candy if they can show what big boys they are by controlling that quivering lip and checking in with their doctor just once every year.
People are growing moustaches for mens' health. The least that can be done to say thanks is an annual checkup.
