Moustaches of all shapes, colours and sizes are expected to sprout on thousands of men’s faces across Queensland as they try to outdo each other in the moustache department in the interests of raising money for men’s health.
Member for Mulgrave Curtis Pitt is urging Far North Queensland men to remember Movember as the time to take action with their prostate health.
Mr Pitt today encouraged local blokes to organise a group of friends or work colleagues and compete to see who can grow the biggest Mo by the end of Movember.
“Men are encouraged to ‘grow a Mo’ and collect donations to do their bit to raise awareness for men’s health issues, namely prostate cancer and depression the month formerly known as November.” Mr Pitt said.
“I didn’t take part last year because I promised my wife I’d stay clean shaven, but I’m back this year for the month-long moustache marathon.
“Movember is becoming more popular every year as a way to encourage at-risk males to address health issues such as prostate cancer and depression.
“Money raised is shared equally between programs targeting prostate cancer and male depression. Funds are committed to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, beyondblue, and the Movember Foundation.
“Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Queensland men and the second greatest cause of male cancer deaths – more than 550 Queensland men died of the disease this year.
“Almost 20,000 men nationwide will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2010, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
“Around one million Australian adults and 100,000 young people live with depression each year.
“On average, one in six people will experience depression in their lifetime – one in five females and one in eight males.”
Mr Pitt is joining forces with Member for Thuringowa Craig Wallace and other MPs with his team ‘The Ron Burgundy All-Stars’ to take part in Movember but said although Movember begins today, it wasn’t too late to get involved.
“I encourage men to get involved and get their mates involved and grow a Mo to support this worthy cause and help raise awareness of these common but sometimes taboo men’s health issues,” Mr Pitt said.
“Early diagnosis is the key to getting better outcomes and potentially curing prostate cancer.
“Men with a family history of prostate cancer have a greater risk of the disease so they should talk to their doctor about tests available.”
It’s common for men aged over 50 to have symptoms related to urinary flow, urgency and control. In most cases these symptoms will not be prostate cancer but they should be checked by your general practitioner.
Symptoms can include:
- Difficulty in passing urine or weak flow
- Passing urine more frequently than usual, especially at night
- Difficulty in starting the flow of urine
- Blood in urine
- Pain when passing urine
- Any of the above symptoms combined with pain in the lower back, upper thighs or pelvic area.
To donate to Mr Pitt’s team, go to http://au.movember.com/mospace/723230/
For more information and or to register for Movember visit www.movember.com
Recent Comments