Doing Something Weird for Someone I Love
It's almost November. Or Movember as some call it. Typically a month that has given trendy men everywhere an excuse to not shave. I've participated in No Shave November before and grew out a scraggly beard. But this year is different.
What the heck is Movember?
As an official global charity, Movember’s vision is to have an everlasting impact on the face of men’s health. During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of millions of moustaches on men's faces around the world. Through the power of the Mo, vital funds and awareness are raised to combat prostate and testicular cancer and mental health challenges.
This year it hits too close to home. My brother-in-law (Kelsey's younger brother) is battling testicular cancer. He is in the midst of a nine-week intense chemo session, and hearing from him nearly daily about what he is going through has been both sad and inspiring.
Sad to see him have to go through this as a 26-year-old. Inspiring to see his courage as he goes through it all with a great attitude. I'm so proud of him.
The hardest part for us is not knowing how to help. We live two hours away and are praying for him daily, but still feel helpless in the situation.
Yesterday Kelsey paused #WednesdaysWithRooney to spend a Wednesday with Cole. She drove up to take Cole to his three hours of chemo and just spend some sister/brother time together. I'm so grateful that she was able to do that.
This is a photo of me and Cole in 2008. Ironically, as we traipsed through Yellowstone for a week, he chopped down his beard to a fumanchu and finally into the sparse mustache you see above. That's just how he rolls. I'm much more self conscience about wearing a mustache around in public.
Wanting to help support someone who has cancer but not knowing how can be difficult. But, growing a mustache is something I can do. My hope is that in all of the awkwardness that comes with having a mustache on my face, it will spark some conversations for which I can tell his story. If you feel so compelled, please join me in giving what you can toward testicular cancer and men's health in general. I've set up a Movember donation page.
Get Involved
- Donate to me (my Movember profile, not me personally)
- Donate to my team
- Join my team (Mustaches for Cole)
Thanks for considering this great cause!