Movember for men's health

As the days get shorter and the nights longer, as shopkeepers notice a sudden decline in the sale of razorblades and the sudden appearance of more and more men sporting an assortment of different Soup Strainers, people must be asking, what the hell is going on, writes Colm McNamee? Have we entered an alternate universe where all the menfolk look like Tom Selleck, Hulk Hogan or Chopper Read (RIP)?

The answer is much simpler and exceedingly more profound. The month of November has been re-branded Movember in support of a movement to raise awareness of Men's health issues.

While the risk of women's cancers have been highlighted over the last few years, what is poorly known, is the fact that, as a man, I am six times more likely to get prostate cancer than a woman is to get either cervical or breast cancer. Now this is not a battle of the sexes to see who gets more research funding for cancer treatment, rather it is an acknowledgement of the fact, that when it comes to health issues, women are much more proactive in protecting themselves than men.

So, whether it cancer or mental health, as men, we need to start looking after ourselves, and we need the women in our lives to stop ridiculing us for having "man flu" and allow us to voice our genuine health concerns. The alternative is, we will all be attending a lot more funerals than we need to.

So, if I'm spotted roaming the streets of Kilcullen, looking like an
escaped convict, I would ask people to take a moment to stop, and help me raise funds for this worthy cause.

Colm is pictured above with Anna from The Bridge Barbers.