Brendan Bell’s wife might not be enamored with his latest bit of facial hair, but he’s the early leader for best moustache on the Connecticut Whale during the always worthwhile Movember cause.
During Movember – the month formerly known as November – people worldwide sprout moustaches to raise money and awareness for men’s health issues, particularly prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men. It started in Australia in 2003 and then spread to South Africa and Europe, reaching American shores five years ago. In 2010 alone, more than 64,500 Mo brothers and sisters got on board in the United States, raising $7.5 million.
Bell, the veteran defenseman in his first season with the Whale after he signed a free-agent deal with the New York Rangers on Aug. 8, is participating in the fundraiser for the third straight year. While wife Monika doesn’t like the scraggly nature of her husband’s face, his Fu Manchu is drawing raves from all sides, and that was even before he scored his first two goals with the Whale. The first was a breakaway off a brilliant lead pass from Mats Zuccarello with 6.9 seconds left in overtime that beat the Bridgeport Sound Tigers 3-2 on Friday night, and the second started the Whale back from a two-goal, third-period deficit to a 3-2 shootout victory over Providence on Sunday.
“Must not be any Italian guys on the team,” a smiling Bell said of the Fu Manchu look. “If you can’t laugh at yourself, I don’t know what you can do. But I know I’ve been doing it for at least three years because my wife hates it. She actually left for five or six days to visit her parents in Tampa, Fla., and then went home to Ottawa, partially because we were on the road (in St. John’s, Newfoundland) and then had a busy schedule at home but partially just because she doesn’t want to be a part of the moustache. She laughs at everything, but there’s no extra kisses going around at my place.”
Bell said he has participated in the program to raise awareness and be part of “a fun thing for the team.”
“It’s something to joke around about, but it does raise awareness for a pretty serious issue,” Bell said. “I began having my prostate looked at at 20 because I had a prostate and urinary issue that I didn’t want to have to look after later on in life. And my grandfather died young of some intestinal issue that they never really sorted out. It’s just something that I’m kind of aware of because I want to be aware of it. It’s an important issue that we just kind of brush under the rug because it’s something that you don’t really want to think about.”
Whale veteran center Kris Newbury is also in his third go-round with a moustache, though he also isn’t earning kudos at home.
“It’s a great charity, absolutely, but I don’t look good with it,” Newbury said with a smile. “It raises awareness, so I sacrifice for a month to look a little bit silly for a good cause.”
And what do Newbury’s three kids about it?
“They don’t like it,” he said, smiling again. “They don’t like kissing dad anymore.”
Most of the Whale players are participating for the cause. Once registered at www.movember.com, participants start Movember clean shaven. For the rest of the month, the men known as Mo Bros, groom, trim and wax their way into fine moustachery. Women who support the Mo Bros are Mo Sistas, and they raise funds by seeking sponsorship for their Mo-growing efforts.
Mo Bros are virtually walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November, and through their actions and words, they raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health. At the end of the month, Mo Bros and Mo Sistas celebrate their efforts by throwing their own Movember party or attending one of the infamous Gala Partés held around the world by Movember, for Movember.
The funds raised in the United States support treatment and prevention of cancers that affect men and are directed to programs run directly by Movember and its men’s health partners, the Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG, the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Together, the three channels work together to ensure that Movember funds are supporting a broad range of innovative, world-class programs in line with strategic goals in the areas of awareness and education, survivorship and research.
Since its humble beginnings in Melbourne Australia, Movember has grown to become a global movement, inspiring more than 1.1 million Mo Bros and Mo Sistas to participate with formal campaigns in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Finland, Spain, South Africa, Ireland and the Netherlands. In addition, Movember is aware of Mo Bros and Mo Sistas supporting the campaign and men’s health cause across the globe.
No matter the country or city, Movember will continue to work to change established habits and attitudes men have about their health, to educate men about the health risks they face and to act on that knowledge, thereby increasing the chances of early detection, diagnosis and effective treatment.
Those interested in participating can donate to an individual, a team or to the Movember cause itself. Funds raised benefit the Prostate Cancer Foundation, LIVESTRONG and the Movember Foundation. If you want to register, donate or get involved, Google Movember or call 310-450-3399. If you’ve got a few spare bucks in these difficult economic times, make a donation. It could help you or someone you love.
