As part of our #Movember campaign this year I asked for stories from the Dad Bloggers Movember team about why we Mo’. I can’t very well ask for them without being willing to share my own. I like to call it “The Value of One More”.
When I first became acquainted with Movember I did it because I am a man interested in Men’s issues, but mostly because it gave me a “legitimate” excuse to mess around with my facial hair. Last year however Movember took on a more serious tone for me. My very good friend Zack died unexpectedly from complications from diabetes. He was fully aware of his condition, managing it better than he ever had in his life, and was really working on improving his overall health. So it was quite a surprise to all of us. In fact I had been in contact with him just a few days before he died.
Losing hims had a serious impact, he had been one of a small group of friends that I had stayed in contact with since high school. It has caused me to put out a little more effort in the relationships that I still have. I don’t know if one more phone call, one more e-mail, or one more anything would have made a difference in the way Zack left us. I doubt it would have in all reality. What I do know is that I would love one more chance, to sit down and have one more beer with him, to watch one more ballgame with him, to take one more trip to the lake, and/or hit the road for one more road trip.
There are so many “one mores” that I could list, and to me that is what Movember is all about, raising awareness for men’s health so that we can have those “one mores” with the important men in our lives. Look around at the friends, fathers, sons, brothers, grandfathers, uncles etc… in your life and imagine losing one of them because they were unaware of the men’s health resources that are available to them. How much would one more day with them be worth?
So here we are on the eve of my 5th Movember, this year I have joined a team of Dads and Dad Bloggers who are committed to raising awareness about the overall state of men’s health and raising money to improve it. They are Life of Dad, The Dad 2.0 Summit, The NYC Dads Group, and The National At Home Dad Network. Please take some time this year to look at the great things these groups are doing for Fatherhood. Then if you can spare it, donate a buck or two on behalf of our collective Moustaches and help us raise awareness and research for men’s health so that we might all enjoy a few “one mores”.
Sincerely,