So I don’t usually like to get emotional or persuasive in this space. It’s really a place to check out music, pictures and see where OFB is going to be. But…it’s Movember.

Last year, I grew a mustache for Movember mostly so I could grow a mustache. Sometime in mid-October, my mom had just gotten her breast cancer diagnosis and maybe that had a little to do with it. But I was really just watching a Red Wings game and heard about this Movember thing and decided to give it a try.

Then I realized…I’m 39 years old. At age 40, we’re supposed to start getting things checked out on a regular basis. And by “checked out,” I mean exactly what you think I mean. It’s uncomfortable and a little bit funny and nobody likes it. But it’s one of those things that comes with age, like achy mornings and early nights.

I saw a statistic this week that shocked me. The number of men diagnosed with prostate cancer is greater than the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer. I believe that prostate cancer is generally more survivable than breast cancer, but the number shocked me nonetheless. No matter how you look at it, a lot of men and women get that bad news every year.

Movember proceeds to to the Prostate Cancer Foundation and to LiveSTRONG. So part goes to research, which is great. But the part that I like is the part that goes to help survivors. Cancer survivors and their families need all the support they can get so I’m proud to support a group like LiveSTRONG that serves that community.

Please go check out Team OFB’s MoSpace page. Donate if you can. If you can’t…encourage the men (of a certain age) in your life to get checked. And after they get checked…give them a hug. They’ll need one.