My reasons for growing a Mo for Movember are split into two main parts.

My grandad battled with prostate cancer for years without telling anyone about it. Why? I don't know, but it obviously left a mark on the whole family and his sons.
My dad and his brothers went for cancer checks and they were all fine, however 18 months later my dad had a gut feeling (he gets these about important events, its very strange) that he needed to be checked again.
The doctors said it was unnecessary as he was fine so recently and had no symptoms to speak of, but he insisted. Eventually, at the third time of asking they agreed to the simple blood test.
It was off the charts - turned out he had stage 3 prostate cancer and was to start immediate treatment. Not wanting to make the same mistakes as my grandad, he was open and honest about it all, too much in some regards to what a son wants to hear due to certain side effects.
However, seeing the cornerstone of our family go through such aggressive treatment was a huge reality check. Thankfully due to his health before diagnosis and responding well to treatment, it's been 26 months since his diagnosis and has been cancer free for the last 15.
Due to the aggressive nature of the cancer and how quickly it had spread he is still receiving treatment but hopefully, that will be the end of it. If my father can do all of that, then I can "Grow a Mo" and look a bit daft to help raise awareness.

A simple blood test saved my dads life, one that he was told he did not need. It should be a regular yearly check up after 40 years old. Hopefully this can, in some small way, help make that a reality.


Apart from the above, I have struggled a lot with my mental health over the last 7 years. It was a sense of hopelessness, a lack of direction in my own working life that was the main driving cause for this, as I never felt I had reached my full potential or would ever in my current role.
This seeped into all aspects of my life and I went from a generally carefree, fun loving guy to someone scared to step out of his front door. There was not one big event I could blame it on, no traumatic work related incident (i was in the emergency services for over 12 years), no childhood trauma, it was just hopelessness not knowing where to go or what to do.
Medication from the doctors helped although it did take some getting used to (not feeling anything or just numbness is not the answer) but the main thing that helped was the loving support and incredible understanding of my wife. It wasn't easy in fact it was incredibly difficult for her more than me in most cases, but she helped give me the strength and time I needed to start making positive changes. A recent diagnosis has completely changed my relationship with my Mental Health. It turns out that a few weeks before I turned 39 I had the answers to alot of those feelings i've mentioned above. I have ADHD, I won't deep dive into it here but the medication has been life changing. Looking back since school its blatantly obvious and cant believe i didnt pick up on it sooner. Effectively theres a chance i never had depression, I'd just reached my breaking point with masking my ADHD. I'm still incredibly thankful for the original diagnosis, it got me back on my feet and alerted me to the fact something needed to change. Since then I have had a complete career overhaul and have an amazing 2 1/2 year old daughter who completely has me wrapped around her little finger.
Why do I share all of this? The hardest thing for me was to admit I was struggling, that I didn't have all the answers, to be vulnerable with my loved one, and ask for help. I was fortunate enough to never think the worst, having such barriers and stereotypes about men not being able to express their feelings and feel they cannot ask for help when they so desperately need it can not be the answer moving forward. Hopefully, in any small way, if reading this helps a family member, a friend, a colleague at work or some random person I will never meet, then I'm glad I was open about my mental health journey.