It’s the time of year that men love and women just shake their heads.
November is Movember — a month when guys toss their razors aside and let their moustaches and beards grow with wild abandonment to raise money for prostate cancer. The Windsor Essex County Cancer Care Centre Foundation has created Grow On Windsor to keep some money in the local community.
“I think the key point is a lot of people don’t realize we don’t receive the funds from Movember,” said Houida Kassem, manager and director of development at Windsor Essex County Cancer Centre Foundation. “It’s great to support Movember but if you want it to stay local, Grow On Windsor does just that.”
Prostate awareness champions Brian Schwab, left, and Marty Komsa issued a challenge to each other and the whole community to support Grow On Windsor, a Windsor Essex County Cancer Centre Foundation initiative to assist with local prostate cancer awareness, research and treatment October 30, 2015.
The rules are the same. Go onto Growwindsor.com register, print off a pledge form and start letting your facial hair grow while you get donations. Grow On Windsor has already raised $40,000 from local donations and the fundraiser has just started.
“In Windsor and Essex County, we have some of the most generous people,” Kassem said. “So grow your ‘stache and have some fun with it. Ladies can get involved too. One lady told me she wasn’t going to shave her legs for the month.”
Survivor’s story
Jim Fair, of LaSalle, was diagnosed with prostate cancer three years ago at the age of 62. His father died from prostate cancer. So when Fair turned 50, he started to get his PSA (prostate-specific antigen) checked each year. After a few elevated levels, he went in for a biopsy.
“I was diagnosed just a few days after I retired,” Fair said. “I was shocked, because I didn’t have any symptoms. I didn’t know a lot about the disease so I spent time online and talking to a doctor about prostate cancer.”
He finally decided to go with the robotic surgery option but had to drive to Hamilton f0r the nearest daVinci Surgical Assisting robot. Last year, $5.4 million was raised through the In Your Jeans campaign and a daVinci was purchased for Windsor.
“November has always been the focus on men’s health issues,” he said. “What’s nice about Grow On Windsor is the money stays in our community to help assist families so maybe we don’t have to go to London, Hamilton or Toronto for treatment or procedures.
Windsor, Ontario. October 30, 2015 – Prostate awareness champion Jim Fair speaks about the importance of visiting your doctor during the kickoff event for Grow On Windsor, a Windsor Essex County Cancer Centre Foundation initiative to support local prostate cancer awareness, research and treatment October 30, 2015.
Where does money go?
The money supports research, awareness and treatment including new equipment such as a $13,000 bladder scanner used to assess bladder function and toxicity of radiation treatment for prostate cancer patients. Also $150,000 in brachytherapy equipment, including a stepper-stabilizer unit used in the treatment of brachtherapy.
Statistics
One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. That works out to an estimated 24,000 men who will be diagnosed and an estimated 4,100 who will die from the disease this year.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in Canada.
If discovered and treated early, more than 90 per cent of prostate cancer cases are curable.
How to get your Grow On
Register online at growonwindsor.com or begin collecting pledges or support another Grow Bro team. The website has information on a couple Grow On events coming up including Bottom’s Up! Pints for Prostate Nov. 5 at Manchester Pub, the Mo Bro Mustache Dash Nov. 21 at the Belle River Legion and the Stashe Bash Nov. 27 at the Bourbon Tap and Grill.
