A trio from Goulburn-Murray Water’s (GMW) East Distribution Team has banded together to encourage their mates to put their health first.
East Distribution assistant manager Luke Dunham, distribution coordinator Dean Nye, and customer service team lead Corey Hickford decided to take part in Movember to raise funds and awareness for men’s health.
The primary causes Movember supports are prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health and suicide prevention.
Dean said his own experiences had taught him the importance of these causes.
“Four years ago, when I was 49 years old, I visited my GP because I knew I was getting to the age when you need your bowel and prostate checked. My blood tests came back high enough to be referred to a specialist and when the results came back they told me that I had prostate cancer,” he said.
“When you hear that your head starts spinning, you don’t know what to do.
“Thankfully, I was able to get in touch with other people who were going through the same thing. Talking to them made the whole experience a lot less daunting.”
Dean soon learned the power of sharing his own story with others.
“When I told one of my workmates about how I had discovered I had prostate cancer, it prompted them to get tested as well, and they then found out they had it too,” he said.
“They ended up needing the same surgery I did, so it’s good they listened and were able to have the operation before the cancer had spread further.”
Unfortunately, Dean’s workmate was not the only one to receive the bad news.
“There were five of us at GMW’s Cobram office who were all diagnosed with prostate cancer within a few months of each other,” he said.
“It was just terrible luck. But we all spoke about what we were dealing with and were open with each other.
“That’s what has been so good about doing this fundraiser, it has been a great opportunity for us to talk and encourage others to get tested and make their health a priority.
“It is something I would encourage others to do as well. We need to get better with being open about these things because it can save lives.”
In addition to initiating some important conversations, the trio has also managed to raise over $2000 that will go towards treating and preventing prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental illness.
Corey said he was delighted with the support for their fundraising efforts.
“It is the first year we have done it, and we didn’t really know what to expect,” he said.
“But it has been amazing the support we have had and how eager people have been to donate and share their stories.”
To learn more about Movember or to donate people can head to the Movember website: https://au.movember.com/