Audra Rodriguez / Staff Writer
Del Mar College students Edward Davila, Jarrett Box and Dennis Martinez all started the month of November the same way: by putting down the razor.
The annual month-long “No Shave November” campaign is here. While the aim of No Shave November, also known as “Movember,” is to not shave for the entire month, some might not know exactly why.
Several male DMC students who are participating in the event expressed the same concept: that it is just a way to not have to shave.
This is Business Administration major, Davila’s first year trying out the campaign.
“I just want to see if I can grow a beard, and what a better opportunity than No Shave November,” Davila said.
Box, a Network Support major, has been participating for about three years now and says it is mostly for fun.
“This year I’ve decided to do it for the children because children can not grow beards,” Box said.
According to Martinez, an Occupational Therapy major, “[he participates] by default,” with the conclusion that many have different understandings as to why Movember really exists.
According to www.chacha.com, “No shave November is a prostate cancer awareness campaign that began in Australia in 2003.”
The motto “Movember changing the face of men’s health” is from the website www.movember.com. On this site one can register one’s participation, make a monetary donation, receive valuable information on awareness programs and make friends that participate for the same goal.
On movember.com you can register as a participant, starting clean-shaven on November 1 and pledging to maintain a moustache, becoming a “walking, talking billboard” campaigning to bring attention to men’s health issues. With the funds acquired, the Movember Foundation will help families affected by prostate cancer, help increase the understanding of the health risks men face, and fund research to influence change in men’s health.
According to www.webmd.com, prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. The cancer cells spread from the prostate usually to the bones and lymph nodes.
Prostate cancer can cause pain, difficulty urinating, and problems during sexual intercourse or erectile dysfunction.
Worldwide it is the sixth leading cause of cancer related to death in men and is the second in the United States.
Other symptoms include frequent urination, increased urination at night, difficulty starting and maintaining a steady stream of urine, blood in the urine and painful urination.
The average age at the time of diagnosis is 70.
It is very uncommon in men younger than 45, but becomes more common the older one gets.
On the Movember site, it shows 82.3 percent of funds raised goes directly to men’s health programs, 7.9 percent to fundraising cost, 7.7 percent retained funds which are funds used to cover future campaigns and 2.1 percent for administration costs.
It is important to know that “All funds donated to men’s health partners are restricted and only to be used for programs.
Movember funds are not permitted to be used for fundraising or administration costs not related to program delivery,” according to the movember website.
The 2011 campaign globally raised $126.3 million.