Movember fundraising brings issue of prostate cancer screening to the fore
Movember's month of facial hair and fundraising highlights the importance of prostate cancer screening
Sam Gilbert is 26 years old, but already knows just how protracted and painful a battle with prostate cancer can be. For nine years, Gilbert witnessed his grandfather's health deteriorate until June, when he succumbed to the disease at the age of 76.
"I saw the decline in my grandfather's standard of living. And it was tough because he was the big chief, the patriarch of the family," says Gilbert, a Briton who has lived in Hong Kong for four years.
Prostate cancer is not talked about ... there's a slight taboo associated with it
"The cancer spread to the rest of his body and his bones. It affected his joints and so he had problems getting around. It was debilitating. People see cancer as a fast track to death when, in fact, it can be a really long and horrible battle."
Motivated by his first-hand encounter with prostate cancer and concerned by a lack of awareness about the disease here, Gilbert and his teammates from the DeA Tigers Rugby Football Club are taking part in Movember for the first time. The rules of the annual fundraiser for men's health are simple: start November clean-shaven, before growing and grooming a moustache for the next four weeks.
Curious questions about furry upper lips are meant to help break the ice in discussing men's health, and each of the participants is supposed to seek sponsorship. "Prostate cancer is not talked about in Hong Kong; I think there's a slight taboo associated with it," says Gilbert.