Movember is upon us. Every year for the entire month of November, thousands of men around the world begin sprouting moustaches- dubbed “Mo’s.” With the help of their Mo’s, men raise money and awareness for prostate cancer.
But, it appears it isn’t just men who are sporting ‘staches for the cause. Joan Forge and her daughter Jenny Pogue wore fake moustaches all day Thursday.
“I just see a broom. I see Lanny McDonald. I see hair where it shouldn’t be,” said Pogue.
“It goes up your nose and then it tickles, and you feel like you’re rubbing your nose all the time,” added Forge with a laugh.
The pair, along with a number of female friends, wore moustaches in support of a special man in their lives- Forge’s husband Rick LeLacheur.
LeLacheur, a veteran member of the Edmonton Eskimos Football Club, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in July 2010.
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“It came as quite a shock when the doctors told me,” said LeLacheur.
His cancer was caught during an annual checkup with his doctor. LeLacheur underwent surgery, where more cancer was found and removed from his kidney. He beat the disease, and says he owes it all to early detection.
“(With) a lot of cancers, you just don’t know you have them until it’s too late,” LeLacheur said adding, “I’m very fortunate to be a survivor.”
Forge says it was an extremely tough time for her entire family.
“It’s actually really frightening when that ‘c’ word comes into your own family.”
She says ever since going through LeLacheur’s battle with cancer, it has been her goal to get the message of early detection out to as many people as she can. That’s why she, along with her daughter and a group of friends, decided to wear fake Mo’s. She says it’s a fun way to get people talking about a very serious subject.
“The best part is feeling like we’re helping raise awareness, and reminding men how important it is to have that annual checkup,” said Forge.
“It’s all about having those conversations with the men in your life,” Pogue said adding, “Saying ‘Have you (had) your annual checkup? Have you been tested? Are you taking care of yourself?'”
LeLacheur isn’t a huge fan of the look of his wife with a Mo but, says anything that gets people talking is OK with him.
“They shouldn’t have one. They look much better without one but, for one day we’ll put up with it.”
Movember began in Melbourne, Australia in 2003 and has since become a global movement. In 2011, over 854,000 people participated in Movember, raising over $125 million Canadian.
If you’re taking part in Movember, we’d like to see your Mo. You can submit your pictures through our Ground Force webpage. If you need some inspiration, check out our Movember photo gallery.
With files from Su-Ling Goh.
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