Bottom line up front: I am asking you to donate, at
https://mobro.co/cromobronola My facial hair has always been a little wispy. Way back in
high school, I followed my friend Brad’s sage teenage advice,
and shaved every day (I needed to shave once a week) to ensure that my beard would fill in. It never did. I have heard it all: "Tuft guy." "Cat died?" "Don’t worry; it’ll fill in." "I wish I didn’t have to shave twice a day...."
So why would I shave it all off and start again. On purpose?
Because it gets me a chance to talk about getting checked out for prostate cancer. I work
in an office where most of the guys are A-type personalities, hard-driving, testosterone fueled, pushy, career-focused guys. It is the Army, for heaven’s sake. And those alpha males are the guys that are most at risk for developing prostate cancer. When I shave off my scraggly goatee, it occasions comment, and I get to hop up on my soapbox, elevator speech style, and hold forth. About my dad, and how he only found out about his because of a routine exam. About how this cancer is nearly always treatable. How research has made a difference. How it is important. This year, the team at Movember has added another element to their awareness campaign, and it is another important message. Three out of every four suicides are men. Criminitly. That is a scary statistic. We are very fired up about the mass shootings, and we should be. The issue is terrible. But all of the gun homicides combined in the US - including mass shootings and all other murders were just over 11k. In that same time, there were more than 21k gun suicides. That means that if you took ALL the gun murders in the US, the male suicides would outnumber them by more than 150%. And there is no outrage. It is not even part of the discussion. Except.... ...except in the military. Because there is a HUGE problem within the military community. We have several mandatory trainings every year, but the two that the chief has pointed out as critical (I heard him say it) is 1) sexual harassment, and 2) suicide prevention. Guys, it is imperative that we start talking about it. That we ask one another if we are ok. That we urge one another to get help, if it is needed. That we look out for one another, in any way we can. Don’t know how to tell if someone is suicidal? Check out some online resources. I can suggest them, if you don’t want the google search on your browser history. Don’t know what to say? Afraid of speaking out of turn, being insulting, or feeling foolish? Damn it.... grow a pair. If I can grow the silliest looking moustache ever for a whole month, causing people in the grocery store to stare and point, then you can go to someone you care about and talk.
Just talk.
Yeah, I am asking you to donate. Donate in memory of my dad. Donate in honor of my uncle
who found out he had prostate cancer after he was tested because my dad insisted. Donate in honor of your favorite alpha male. And then go to them and ask them to get tested.
And for the love of Pete, go and tell your friends that you love them. Otherwise, what are
we doing here? Your tribe needs you to step up, and make sure that everyone is OK.
Crorey
* this was editied to see if I could clean up the format a little. Not sure I succeeded.
https://mobro.co/cromobronola My facial hair has always been a little wispy. Way back in
high school, I followed my friend Brad’s sage teenage advice,
and shaved every day (I needed to shave once a week) to ensure that my beard would fill in. It never did. I have heard it all: "Tuft guy." "Cat died?" "Don’t worry; it’ll fill in." "I wish I didn’t have to shave twice a day...."
 |
| Horseshoe? Really? Only Hulk Hogan could make this style cool. |
in an office where most of the guys are A-type personalities, hard-driving, testosterone fueled, pushy, career-focused guys. It is the Army, for heaven’s sake. And those alpha males are the guys that are most at risk for developing prostate cancer. When I shave off my scraggly goatee, it occasions comment, and I get to hop up on my soapbox, elevator speech style, and hold forth. About my dad, and how he only found out about his because of a routine exam. About how this cancer is nearly always treatable. How research has made a difference. How it is important. This year, the team at Movember has added another element to their awareness campaign, and it is another important message. Three out of every four suicides are men. Criminitly. That is a scary statistic. We are very fired up about the mass shootings, and we should be. The issue is terrible. But all of the gun homicides combined in the US - including mass shootings and all other murders were just over 11k. In that same time, there were more than 21k gun suicides. That means that if you took ALL the gun murders in the US, the male suicides would outnumber them by more than 150%. And there is no outrage. It is not even part of the discussion. Except.... ...except in the military. Because there is a HUGE problem within the military community. We have several mandatory trainings every year, but the two that the chief has pointed out as critical (I heard him say it) is 1) sexual harassment, and 2) suicide prevention. Guys, it is imperative that we start talking about it. That we ask one another if we are ok. That we urge one another to get help, if it is needed. That we look out for one another, in any way we can. Don’t know how to tell if someone is suicidal? Check out some online resources. I can suggest them, if you don’t want the google search on your browser history. Don’t know what to say? Afraid of speaking out of turn, being insulting, or feeling foolish? Damn it.... grow a pair. If I can grow the silliest looking moustache ever for a whole month, causing people in the grocery store to stare and point, then you can go to someone you care about and talk.
 |
| If I can wear a silly moustache like this, then you can talk to a friend. |
* this was editied to see if I could clean up the format a little. Not sure I succeeded.
No comments:
Post a Comment