The Movember Foundation— The State of Men’s Health is in Crisis
3 out of 4 of all suicides are by men. What’s one of the leading causes — the struggle with depression. Before Movember came along, men’s health wasn’t something people talked about, but the truth is men are dying too young.
I had the privilege of being able to meet and interview The Movember Foundation’s Development Director — Mitch Hermansen. When he shared his personal story and Movember’s cause, it inspired me to write this article in order to raise awareness in hopes to reach those who are struggling with prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicidal thoughts.
Tell us a bit about Movember
Inspired by the pink ribbon and its impact on women’s health, thirty friends got together and decided to create an engaging campaign in 2003 by growing out mustaches in order to raise awareness for prostate cancer and mental health. The focus has always been to make sure men live a healthier, happier and longer life. Today the Movember Foundation works year round to tackle some of the biggest issues impacting men today:
- Prostate cancer — the most common cancer among older men. 1 in 7 Canadians will be diagnosed.
- Testicular cancer —the most common cancer among younger men aged 15–39.
- Mental health and suicide prevention — suicide is the #1 health related cause of death for Canadian men aged 15-44.
We have raised just over $900M globally and have founded over 1,200 projects supporting prostate cancer and mental health. By 2030 our goal is to cut the number of deaths in half from prostate and testicular cancer, and reduce the rate of male suicide by 25%. It’s ambitious, but if it’s not us — who else will take care of it?
What tools can men use when health issues arise?
Our Awareness and Education program is encouraging men to become more aware of their health and to take action when issues arise.
I had a friend who had testicular cancer. He started noticing pain but didn’t go to the doctor. He waited months and months until he went in for what he thought was a nagging head cold. When the doctor notified him that he would have to check his testicles first, he was surprised to discover he had late stage testicular cancer, which resulted in extensive chemo treatments. It caused him to lose a year of his life.
It’s the unfortunate attitude that a lot of men have when it comes to their health. Men are raised to be strong, to not show vulnerability, and to ‘man up’. We’ll toughen it out until it’s unbearably painful and then we’ll go to the doctors. That’s how we catch cancers late, which is part of the reason why men die on average 6 years younger than women — we don’t take our health seriously. If you feel that something is wrong or if you are in pain — GET YOURSELF CHECKED OUT.
What steps can men take to help themselves when struggling through mental health?
Mental health impacts everyone whether you are a student or a CEO of a company. Guys don’t like talking about their problems and tend to bottle it up. There are times and days of the week where I feel down, but during the years I’ve learned is that it’s important to recognize what you can do to take care of your mental health.
The first step is to recognize that you have mental health. It doesn’t matter who you are, what your job is, or where you live — we all struggle and it’s okay to not be feeling okay.
Steps one can take:
- Talking to someone — people you care about
- Keep active — go for a run, workout, or do yoga. Regular exercise can help you concentrate, sleep, look and feel better
- Taking a day off work for yourself
- Creating a gratitude journal — write down things that you are grateful for
- Staying socially connected — when going through tough times we tend to distance ourselves from others. Don’t. Connect with important people in your life and keep lines of communication open: it’s good for you!
- Listening to music
- Go outside — take a walk and take time to gather your thoughts
- Ask for help — we are all human
- Mediate — meditation is a powerful tool that helps people manage their thoughts and emotions
It’s different for everyone but it’s important to find what works for you. There’s an organization I love located in British Columbia that was funded by Movember called Heads Up Guys. It’s a great space that help men support their fight against depression by providing tips, tools, information about professional services, and stories of success.
Let’s spread awareness on prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention! We can’t afford to stay silent. We have one goal: to stop men from dying too young.
To learn more about Movember visit their website.
A Bit About Mitch Hermansen
Meet Mitch — a hard working and energetic individual that leads by a setting positive example. He’s a a firm believer in being humble and has a passion in working with people, driving change, achieving goals, critical thinking and creative problem solving. Mitch comes from a small town of a few thousand people outside of Ottawa called Russell — it doesn’t have a Tim Hortons.
He went to school at Carleton University where he earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree and majored in Accounting. After four years of working in a private accounting firm and earning his CPA designation, Mitch realized that the corporate life wasn’t for him and sought out more meaningful work — so he decided to move to Uzbekistan for a year to do volunteer work for a humanitarian organization called Doctors Without Borders. It was out of his comfort zone, but it was one of the best experiences he’s ever had because he got a taste of what it meant to do meaningful work.
But how did he get involved with Movember?
Though Mitch was doing meaningful work in Uzbekistan he wasn’t entirely convinced that he wanted to stick with finance so he looked to switch his career entirely. Carpentry has always been a passion of his — he looked to enroll into three different carpentry schools in Canada, but a week before he left Uzbekistan — Movember reached out, and that’s where his journey began. It took him about two years to switch into a fundraising role, but throughout the hustle and wearing different entrepreneurial hats he became really passionate about what Movember represents and what they do to help others.
Fun Facts About Mitch
What are your hobbies?
- Carpentry
- Sailing
- Traveling — most recent trip was Columbia
- Reading
- Being physically active
What is one piece of advice and wisdom you can share with others?
Firstly, work hard.
Secondly, it’s important to remember you will die someday. You don’t know when that will be. Don’t take for granted this awesome thing we have called life. Make it what you want it to be — tell your story.
If you were to walk into a room and there was a 12 year old version of yourself would he/she say, “I can’t wait to be you” or would they say, “what happened?”
We all have these dreams when we are younger and often it’s easy to get lost in business life. We forget about our dreams and go with the flow, but whether it’s your relationship, hobby, or job — it’s important to live a purposeful life.
What’s on your bucket list?
I’ve always wanted to learn how to sail, but often we have bucket lists and we tell ourselves we’ll get to it one day. I know we have priorities but at times we push it too far. Do things now. Why save it all to the end of retirement? As Gary V says —
“If you are living for vacation or retirement — your shit is broken.”
What are 3 words you would use to describe yourself?
Passionate, ambitious, and goofy.
