Movember Team Awards

Ladies and Gentlemen. We present you the 2009 Movember Awards for the Mo Stashed Hairiers as selected by my wife, Mo Sister Ingrid. In order of nothing in particular the following awards go to...

Most Handsomest Mo Pair - Greg & Taylor Landry. They have just finished singing the French national anthem.

Most Optimistic Mo - Justin Manuel, seen here twirling the ends of his stache

Most Intimidating Mo - Jimmy "the Knuckles" Demarco, seen here in typical supplication mode asking for Movember donations.

Most Attitude Mo - Raj Bamaniya in one of his more humble moments.

Most Self Satisfied Mo - Peter Righton. I'd love to know what his wife behind the camera said to get that smile...

Most Stylish Mo - Stephen Faris. A lot of work goes into maintaining that work of art.

Most Happiest Mo - Bob Arpin. Growing a stache for cash is clearly something Bob enjoys.

Most Meticulous Mo - Lucian Acatrinei. Not a hair where there shouldn't be, not a hair out of place.

Most Multi-coloured Mo - Albert Man. Black, brown, red, grey. A really fine specimen.

Most Almost-didn't-make-it Mo - Mike Peyvandi. This mustache is one of those miracle stories - survived not just one but two brushes with a razor.

Most Elusive Mo - Zach King. Trying to get a picture of this mo is like trying to recall that dream you had this morning just before waking up.

Most Naked-without-you Mo - Greg Forbes. I'm sure Greg is most relieved to have his stache back.

Most Mythological Mo - Dan Banks. Rather like Mo Bro Zach King, getting a picture of this mo is like tracking down Big Foot.

Most Unfathomable Mo - Terry McCann. Ingrid gives it the award for not having an obvious category. I think it is the sexiest mo...

Movember Day-25 Time to Thank Our Sponsors - Again!

It is time to acknowledge once again all 67 of you wonderful sponsors so far. You have enabled us easily to smash through our last year's total of $3,366. This is no mean feat in today's economic climate, so thank you for your generosity.

If you have not yet read our prostate health related articles, do take 10 minutes to browse them - and then please tell your friends and relatives to click on over and have a look at them too. Movember is not only about raising funds; it is very much about raising awareness around men's health issues.

Movember Meets Prostate Cancer Survivor Scott Patterson

Interview with Dr. Danny Vesprini

10 Foods for a Healthy Prostate

Why are we doing this?

Mo Bro Terry

Movember Day 23

Justin Manuel looking quite satisfied with his moustache.

Bob Arpin

Yep. Definitely a mo and not just some growth.

Albert Man

The elusive if not reclusive.

A great stache to be proud of.

The GE Healthcare Markham office collection box.

Thanks to Mo Sister May Wong for making it.

On Wednesday there will be an award for the most ????? mustache. The winner gets his photo taken, and to sponsor himself with the contents of the box.

Guest appearance from my son, Mark as Inspector Clouseau.

Luisa has assured him her dog does not bite.

Mark has his own Movember team, The Great Canadian Moosetaches.

Day 22 - Some excellent staches for the viewing

G

Stephen Faris
This bro takes mo grooming to a new level of excellence.

Lucian Acatrinei.

Full frontal and profile Mo elegance.

Greg Landry and Terry McCann. A bit tentative as we are still having to point to the moustache for it to get the required attention. Or is Greg picking his teeth?

Raj Bamaniya
The Mexican flavour adds a really nice touch to this mo masterpiece. The arrogant stare finishes off a fine display of mo power. Learn from the master.

Why are we doing this?

Here is an extract from an email sent to me by Peter, an old friend of mine in South Africa. He sent it to me in November, 2007. I publish it with his permission.

...about my own brush with prostate cancer.  I was diagnosed with it in February this year, although suspected since August 2006, but that was just before my by-pass (I sent you an email about that), so prostate surgery was not appropriate right then.  I had the prostatectomy in May, so am now 6 months over it.  The immediate post-surgery time was not nice - all the stuff surrounding 3 weeks of catheter and then the subsequent incontinence was really traumatic.  There was a guy at work who had gone through it all a few years back and he was a great encouragement to me.  It is all looking OK now (my two PSA readings since the surgery have been 0.06 and 0.09 - which is essentially "undetectable", and I hope it stays down there in the less than 0.1 area), but during the first month or so after the catheter came out (which itself was 3 weeks after the surgery), I was quite desparate about ever coming right.  If you have to go the surgery route, let me know and maybe I will be able to provide a long-distance shoulder to cry on.

In a follow-up email Peter wrote:
I think people normally like the radiation because it doesn't involve being admitted to hospital/anaesthetic/etc.  But my reading tells me that the side effects of radiation can be just as bad as those from prostatectomy - i.e. urinary incontinence or the opposite (blockage), impotence, etc.  On top of that the radiation (unless you do the one where they sort of inject radioactive little blobs into the prostate) can cause damage to all the surrounding stuff.  In the end, I suppose, everyone has to make their own decision. It's not easy, though, when you are just a layperson in medical terms.

Thank you, Peter, for your frank sharing of your experience with prostate cancer and I am glad that, 2 years later, you are still getting those negligible PSA counts.

The Stache Gallery After Day 15

Mo Bro Justin Manuel contemplates the meaning of life

Mo Bro Lucian Acatrinei - enjoying the great outdoors

Mo Bro Peter Righton - had the meaning of life a few seconds ago, but it seems to have slipped away again.

Mo Bro Taylor Landry - who cares about the meaning of life when you have friends like this?

Mo Capt Terry McCann - enjoying life with daughter, Judith.

Bob Arpin - strikes his Socratic pose

Zach King - before his first cup of coffee

Movember - Day 10-12 Updates

Thank you to our sponsors
We really need to express lots of appreciation to all the new sponsors who have donated so generously to the Movember cause:

James Demarco thanks Keith Gartley and Barbara Stroud
Stephen Faris thanks Karen and Dalton Faris and Danielle Tripodi
Dan Banks thanks Roland Maurice, Joanne Banks and Jenny Banks
Greg Landry thanks Helga Tedford and Joe Penariol
Taylor Landry thanks Amy Tran
Terry McCann thanks Lynn Bischoff

As a result the Mostashed Hairiers grand total now stands at $1,740.00


With all these big and little donations the Movember total for the whole of Canada right now is $2,585,514 from 31,288 registrations, second in all the world only behind Australia.
Mo Bro's and Mo Sista's, and that includes all of you our supporters, we can be proud to be part of a great effort here in Canada. For an up-to-the-hour global mo money picture click here.

We're the Hellawi?
I have a number of photos to share with you to show mo progress after 10 days.

Bob Arpin

Justin Manuel

Dan Banks

Jimmy "The Knuckles" Demarco

Lucian Acatrinei

Peter "The Cool" Righton (showing off his renovated bathroom)

Mike Peyvandi - accidentally shaved his mo - twice!

Terry McCann (yours faithfully) and Raj Bamaniya

Eve of Memorial Day - November 11th, 2009

I have lots of good Movember news to share but I think that it is appropriate to give it a break for one day and pay tribute to those who have given their lives for our freedom.

Last year, I think it was, Ingrid and I were driving east on the 401 on a Friday afternoon, on our way to Ottawa, along the section known as the Highway of Heroes at a time when one of the soldiers from the Canadian Armed Forces was being "brought home." The scene was exactly as described in this YouTube video. As we passed under one of the bridges we could see the motorcade approaching from the east and I looked at the blocked-off on-ramp on the other side of the road and saw a dozen or so very, very elderly veterans standing to attention and saluting this young soldier, I think he was just 21, who had given his life in Afghanistan. I choked up. They knew. They understood. Even after fifty years they will never forget. Nor must we.

I decided that, beautiful as it is, I would not use John McCrae's In Flanders Fields this year but rather Wilfred Owen's Dulce et Decorum Est. It has rather a shocking ending that reminds you what war really is. A Five-Nine referred to a German 5.9 inch artillery shell in World War 1.

Dulce et Decorum Est

Wilfrid Owen (1917)

Bent double, like of old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs And towards our distant rest began to trudge. Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind: Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind. Gas! Gas! Quick, boys!- An ecstasy of fumbling, Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time; But someone still was yelling out and stumbling, And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime… Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light, As under a green sea, I saw him drowning. In all my dreams, before my helpless sight, He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning. If in sonic smothering dreams you too could pace Behind the wagon that we flung him in, And watch the white eyes writhing in his face, His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin; If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,- My friend, you would not talk with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory, The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori.

Movember Day 9 - Our First Ton for 2009!

Drum roll! Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Trumpets! Ta-da! Ta-da! Ta-da!
Now hear ye!

The Mo Stashed Hairiers have made their first thousand dollars for Movember 2009.

Thank you ...
... Bryan for your donation to Taylor Landry
... Trevor and Tony for your donations to James Demarco
... Andrea for your donation to Stephen Faris
... Janet for your donation to Terry McCann

These donations take us past the $1,000 mark to $1,150.00.  Well done, Hairiers, and a big thank you to all our sponsors who have brought us this far. We love all of you, our friends and, especially, our Mo Sisters.

Greg and Taylor sent me this special shot of Mo father-son bonding taken after watching some Sunday Mo football and probably consuming mo' wobbly-pops than they planned to. Thank you, Mo Sister Margaret, for capturing this heart-string-tugging moment that must surely bring a tear to every eye.

Actually, there is a more serious side to Taylor. Here's his own account of what is driving his Movember effort this year: "Prostate Cancer is something that has affected my family. My grandfather had it, and bless him, beat it. Just want to raise awareness and some cash for a great cause. And who doesn't enjoy growing a MO from time to time? Third year running w/ the 'Mo Stashed Hairiers' - this will be the best year yet! LET THE MO GROW!!!"

... and it's great to have you on the team, Taylor!

Movember Day 8 - another sponsor

Lucian's Movember sponsorship career has been launched. A big thank you to Valeria. What would we do without our Mo Sisters. This brings our team total to $950.

Movember Day 7 - Multiple Developments

Better late than never, Zachery King has joined the Mo Stashed Hairiers. Welcome back Zachery. It's great to have you back.

Stephen Faris joins the ranks of those of us who have received sponsorships. A big thank you to Michelle. This brings the team total to $900.00.

Meanwhile I have also received a couple of pictures from Albert Man, one from day 4 and one from day 6. Here is the one from Day 6.

10 Foods for a Healthy Prostate

Here's an online article from Reader's Digest:
10 Foods for a Healthy Prostate

One in six North American men will develop prostate cancer. A nutrient-rich, low-fat diet can play a vital role in preventing cancer from developing in this important gland.

Read on ...

Mo Day 6 shows some generous sponsors

Well done, Greg Landry, on getting off the ground with a nice hefty sponsorship. Well done, too, James and Taylor who have started getting additional sponsorships coming in.

Many thanks to Margy (x2), Damian and Marty for your generous donations.

With this our team total is $850.00. Well done team and supporters.

Day 5 - More Mo and... Sponsorships!

Well here's our Jimmy on day 3. Someone quite close to him thinks he looks evil. I think he's just making you an offer you can't refuse. It seems to be working because suddenly Jimmy "Two Lips" Demarco has 4 sponsors. Well done, Jimmy, and a big thank you to your sponsors: Cathy, Marty, Linda and Remi.



And then there's Taylor, whose picture is on yesterday's posting, who has also picked up a sponsor. Well done, Taylor and a big thank you to Russ.

Our Team total is suddenly $310.00.  Tally-Ho!