Kevin Sharkey from Stillorgan is hoping his Movember Moustache will give his workmates something to talk about as his top lip shines a light on men’s health this November.
The 45-year-old carpenter has challenged the tradesman of Ireland to join his ‘Mo the Merrier’ facial fundraiser to raise awareness and funds for men’s health charity Movember, and the Dublin man has a very personal reasons for wanting to get involved.
“I lost my dad Gerry to cancer when he was just 63. He was a big part of my life and I struggled to come to terms with that loss,” he explains.
Kevin’s dad Gerry was diagnosed with prostate cancer whilst living overseas. On returning to Ireland, he was told it was inoperable.
“Prostate cancer is horrible,” reflects Kevin. “You see this larger-than-life man, your father, who you looked up to all your life, rapidly shrink away. He didn’t get chemo; he didn’t get radiotherapy. There was no point.
“One of the most frustrating things to come to terms with is that in many cases prostate cancer is treatable if it is diagnosed early enough. This is why I want to raise as much awareness as possible of the disease, to encourage men to get tested regularly and to be more open about their physical, and mental health. If my silly moustache inspires even one man to get checked, then it’s worth it.”
Kevin has enlisted 12 ‘Mo-brothers’ so far to join his fuzzy fundraiser. “They are mainly other carpenters, woodturners, metalworkers and leatherworkers from Ireland’s maker community.” He explains. ‘We have challenged each other to grow the best Movember moustache to help spread the word and spark life-saving conversations.”
This year marks 21 years of Movember raising awareness and funds for men’s mental health, suicide prevention, prostate and testicular cancers. Men’s health is a national concern. Men are dying on average 4.5 years earlier than women, and for largely preventable reasons with 60 men every 60 minutes losing their life to suicide.
For more information, to donate or learn more, please visit movember.com
