✦ December is a time to let one’s hair grow while raising awareness about an extremely important health issue.
Ask a room full of people who are familiar with Movember and chances are pretty much everyone will raise their hand. Most people have at least heard of the occasion, when men the world over decline from shaving above the lip for the entire month of November, resulting in some impressive and hilarious facial hair creations. While it is very much a fun affair, the drive behind it is wholeheartedly serious - to raise awareness and funds to help men’s health.
Decembeard and Decembhair for Bowel Cancer
Ask the same room of people if they are familiar with Decembeard and I bet you the number of positive responses will be much lower. Similarly, ask about Decembhair and you’re pretty much guaranteed to be met with shakes of the head and quizzical looks. However, both are movements in their infancy that strive towards an equally important goal as their Movember cousin – raising awareness of bowel cancer, officially Australia’s second deadliest cancer killer.
Decembeard was originally launched by Bowel Cancer UK as a fun way to engage the public to raise awareness and lend support to patients and families impacted by bowel cancer, while simultaneously raising funds to help research.
The rules for Decembeard are simple: clean shave on November 30 but then do not shave your face throughout the entire month of December, while seeking sponsorship from friends, family, co-workers, etc in the process.
Since its launch in the UK, the occasion has gone on to receive acclaim globally, none more so than in Australia, where it has been enthusiastically received and officially driven by Bowel Cancer Australia. Sure, it means there are a fair number of Santa lookalikes by the time New Year’s Day rolls around but the fun, and more importantly, the funds raised in the process, more than make it worthwhile! In fact, many guys even dress up their beards to align with the festive time of year, with tinsel, baubles and the like!
More hirsute than usual...
For those who struggle or are unable to grow facial hair, fear not as Decembhair provides you an equal opportunity to get involved with the same movement!
Whether it’s on your head, chest, body, legs, arms, eyebrows, wherever, Decembhair allows you to choose a spot on your body and let it all hang out, meaning not cutting or trimming the hair in that designated spot for the same timeframe as Decembeard.
This also means, of course, that members of the fairer sex can get involved and raise awareness and funds to combat a cancer that does not discriminate by gender. It might mean skipping your next couple of waxing appointments and appearing a little more hirsute than usual but that’s kind of the point, committing to a temporary change of lifestyle and image outside your usual comfort zone to raise awareness and initiate conversation on such a key topic.
Shave the Date
Getting set up is easy and there are a variety of ways you can get involved to raise both awareness and funds, such as by creating teams, organising fun-themed events like Best Beard and Shave the Date, spreading the word and photos via social media channels and by involving your work place for support, including your boss!
Movember has become a fixture in our contemporary world, something that Decembeard and Decembhair very much hope to emulate in the years to come. All involve a lighthearted approach and a whole lot of fun in raising awareness and funding research to help combat a cancer that impacts many of us so why not get involved and be part of a bigger cause for the greater good.
For more information please visit Bowel Cancer Australia’s page on the event.
This article is sponsored by Alison Carroll aka The Turmeric Lady at AC Healthy Solutions.
Blending ancient wisdom with modern science, AC Healthy Solutions help you achieve your individual optimum health and peak performance.
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