The Nanaimo and District Hospital Foundation has its own spin on Movember.
The Movember movement – combining the words moustache and November – is an annual event that raises awareness for men’s health issues, such as prostate cancer. Men grow facial hair while raising money for charities and in the case of the foundation, its Brovember event will raise funds for flexible cystoscopes, instruments used to diagnose bladder cancer and other ailments.
“Brovember is local. It’s all about raising funds for the men that are in our lives here in Nanaimo, so your dad, your brother, you’re neighbour and it’s a take on the Movember campaign ... it’s fun for men to participate in this and it’s because it’s local that we’ve kind of changed the name and did a ‘Brovember’ instead of a ‘Movember,’” said Amber Adams, foundation director of donor relations.
The goal of the foundation is to raise $17,700, the cost of a cystoscope, and Adams said Brovember participants are doing well. Halfway through the month, the money raised is moving toward the $6,000 mark. The fundraiser runs until Nov. 30.
There’s always a need for more cystoscopes, she said.
“There are over 2,000 patients that come through the clinic every year, that’s a lot, so there’s always need for more because they have to be cleaned and used so it definitely helps to get those people through faster,” said Adams.
As of Friday, Derek O’Beirne, manager for ambulatory care surgical services at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, was the fourth-best Brovember fundraiser, with $250 in pledges. He said Brovember is beneficial.
“I think it’s an important thing to get involved in, especially for men’s health,” O’Beirne said. “Working in the health care setting and benefiting from [these] donations for these types of scopes, it’s a worthwhile venture.”
An event called Trash the Stash will happen at Sports Barbers in Nanaimo on Nov. 29, with funds going to the Brovember campaign.
For more information or to donate, please visit http://fundraise.nanaimohospitalfoundation.com.