November is upon us and that means people will start to see more moustaches donning the faces of their family, friends and coworkers.
The ‘Movember’ movement, which raises awareness for men’s health and funds for prostate cancer research, blew up soon after its first year in 2003.
This initiative encourages people to grow mustaches during the month of November, and raise pledges of money to be put towards researching prostate cancer.
However, something most people don’t know is that none of that funding goes towards patient-facing organizations that help those who have been diagnosed with the disease.
This is a misconception the Victoria-based Island Prostate Centre deals with often.
“A lot of people, when they do Movember, we hear this every year when it comes up. People say, ‘we did Movember so we already gave you a donation,’” said Leanne Kopp, Executive Director of Island Prostate Centre.
“We just have to be very clear that if you donate to Movember, great, you’re supporting men’s health, but none of those funds come to us.”
She noted that Movember is critical for raising awareness and getting men to talk about their health more openly. However, she also encourages people to donate money locally, to “give where you live.”
The Island Prostate Centre was established in 2000, and Kopp has been with the organization for 21 of its 24 years.
This organization is a small but mighty team comprised of Kopp, as well as their Nurse Navigator, Holly Heinz and an administrative assistant.
They work with people who have been newly diagnosed with the disease to help them navigate the healthcare system, various treatments and educate them on the difficult path that lies ahead of them.
“Anytime you’re diagnosed with cancer, it’s the worst news you can possibly hear,” Kopp told Victoria Buzz.
“Our centre is just a really unique and rare place of encouragement for patients, particularly for support and education at one of the worst times of their life.”
The foundational program of the Island Prostate Centre is the Nurse Navigator Program, which is one-of-a-kind in Canada.
This program is led by Heinz, who works with the urologists that give diagnoses of prostate cancer, then meets in-person and virtually with the Vancouver Islanders who have been diagnosed.
“When the patients have been diagnosed, they are sent to see our Nurse Navigator, so they have the time and space to talk about what their cancer diagnosis means, what all these terms that are being thrown at them mean, all these tests that they’re being scheduled for, what do those mean,” explained Kopp.
“They then have the opportunity to learn about treatments so that they can feel like they’re empowered—they’re in the driver’s seat and not just the passenger.”
They also have additional courses and programs such as online exercise programs, support group programs, peer support programs, nutrition programs and more.
Despite their work being so crucial for the people they help, this organization is nearly completely donor funded.
“We are truly, in the clearest sense a community-based health organization because we also don’t receive any government funding for what we do,” Kopp said.
“It is our community, through individual donations, through corporate support and we organize a couple fundraising events throughout the year.”
This men’s health organization is run by two women. Kopp says that the longer she spent with the Centre, the more she noticed how many people are impacted by prostate cancer, regardless of gender and including herself.
“My admin staff, her brother-in-law passed away last year of prostate cancer. My husband’s grandfather had prostate cancer. We all know someone who’s been impacted by this disease,” stated Kopp.
“A lot of people don’t want to talk about prostate cancer, but when you do, you find out really and truly how many people have been impacted by this disease.”
She added that statistics indicate that one-in-eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. If there is a family history of prostate cancer, those chances increase by 50% to one-in-four.
“For my family, my husband’s grandfather who had prostate cancer, that increases the risk for not only my husband, but I have two sons,” she continued.
With Movember on the forefront of many Vancouver Islanders’ minds and faces, Kopp urges those who want to help the cause to consider donating to local initiatives like theirs.
Donations can be made via Island Prostate Centre’s website.
Last year, the Island Prostate Centre had 2,709 patient engagements. Their Nurse Navigator program supported 572 patients, many of whom came back for multiple appointments.
All of their services are free and do not require a physician’s referral.
💬 Join the conversation
No comments yet — be the first to start the conversation
