Thanks to everyone who donated. Remember you can make a difference, $20 may not seem like much but it can go a long way.

If you’d like to see a picture of my Mo, visit this post.

photo credit: Sully Pixel

Today is World Aids Day. I’m not going to pretend to be an expert on this subject. I’m not. I know this.

What I also know is that AIDS isn’t going anywhere, we aren’t winning the battle. Infection rates continue to soar and the public continues to turn a blind eye. This is unacceptable given any situation and AIDS is no different.

Today’s post is being published along side thousands of other blog posts to help raise awareness of this disease. I may not be an expert on the subject, but I can become more aware of it and share that awareness with others.

The key to winning the battle against AIDS in my opinion is education and research.

Two very simple things that can make a world of difference. In preparing today’s post one of the most astounding things I read was that approximately 30% of people who have AIDS don’t know it yet. That means the chance they could inadvertantely spread the disease are enormous. If you would like to learn more about AIDS please visit the World’s AIDS Day site.

Another demoralizing tidbit I read was a large amount of AIDS infections are caused through drug use. We all want to have some fun, and while I’d say drug use is not the way to obtain that fun, if you are going to partake at least be intelligent about it. I suppose that statement is contradictory as drug use isn’t very intelligent in the first place.

The second way to make a differece is to donate. By donating some of your hard earned cash you allow researchers to carry out their work for a cure. You allow those dealing with this disease to receive treatement, support, and care. You can donate here.

Remember it doesn’t take much and every bit helps.

Today I want to spend some time discussing how Cancer effects us all.

A friend of mine recently let me know that he’s been diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. If you do any research on this form of cancer you’ll learn very fast that the future looks bleak. My friend is a normal guy, he takes care of himself, works hard, and enjoys a good laugh in the company of friends and family. As I said, a normal guy. A few weeks ago he realized he wasn’t feeling that great and upon closer reflection realized that maybe he’d been feeling that way for a month or so. He went to see his doctor. His decision to do so was a fortunate one as the doctors were able to run a battery of tests on him and make a diagnosis. He starts his treatment tomorrow.

Cancer is a nasty, dirty disease. Often it’s symptoms can be confused with other illnesses. Nor is cancer  picky about who gets afflicted. The danger is that incidents of cancer are growing.

The Canadian Cancer Society estimates that 39% of Canadian women and 45% of Canadian men will develop cancer within their lifetimes. I would estimate that these statistics are common among western, if not the global, population. Look at those number, 45% of men will develop cancer within their lifetimes. You may as well flip a coin and see if you’re one of those. The Canadian Cancer Society notes that approximately 1419 Canadians die of Cancer every single week.

These numbers are staggering and extremely significant. While advances in research and treatment are in many cases able to save lives the sheer amount of cases indicate that cancer is a leading cause for loss of life. It is hard to imagine anyone whose life isn’t effected by cancer in one form or another.

It’s these reasons that made me take up the Movember challenge. Any money that can be raised to support any cancer research is money well used. I realize that in today’s economic climate it’s easy to come up with excuses regarding why you can’t afford to donate. However, when you look at the statistics I think those arguments fall flat.

If you know someone who’s battling cancer right now, make a donation in their name. It doesn’t have to be large, your donation alone might not change the world. However, if we all donate just a little we can move mountains.

Terry decided to run across Canada in what became known as ‘The Marathon of Hope’. Terry ran 26 miles a day. After 143 days Terry was forced to stop as his cancer had spread. However, he had inspired a nation.

Every year there is a Terry Fox run. So far this annual run has raised over $400 million for Cancer research.

A young man decided to make a difference. That difference has inspired thousands of people. It has spawned other similar events to raise money for this and other worthy causes.

My challenge to you is what can you do to make a difference?

You don’t have to run across the country. You aren’t required to make a large gesture, but are you willing to make a gesture?

Perhaps you’ll donate money to a cause. Perhaps, like me, you’ll grow a moustache to bring awareness to a cause. Maybe you’ll volunteer and knock on doors for donations. Perhaps you’ll volunteer at a hospital working with kids who have cancer.

There are many opportunities. Which one will you pick?

If you would like to donate to my Movember efforts you can do so here: Movember. My registration number is 1383686.

If you donate you have my thanks.

If you would like to sponsor me you can visit the Movember site. To donate to me directly reference my registration number 1383686.

The money raised by Movember is donated directly to the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation of Canada who will use the funds to create awareness and fund research across the country into prevention, detection and treatment, with a goal to ending the threat of prostate cancer.

Did you know:

• Every year around 24,700 Canadian men are diagnosed with prostate cancer and about 4,300 die of the disease, making it the number one cancer threat to Canadian men.
• 1 in 7 men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime.
• All men over the age of 40 are potentially at risk and should talk to their doctor about the disease and early detection. Prostate cancer is 95% curable if detected and treated early.

Thank you for your support and don’t worry, I’ll be sure to post update pictures for your viewing pleasure. Feel free to leave some suggestions on the style of Mo you’d like to see me grow.

Neil