It wasn’t long ago that Andrew Perez received the news no one wants to hear: his father had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
“I wanted to find a way that I could somehow be actively helpful, which is tough when it’s not your disease to fight; when it’s not in your own body,” Perez said. “Trying to find a way to take an active stance and do something is a challenge.”
In addition to men facing their cancer diagnosis, far too many friends, family, partners, and loved ones like Andrew are left feeling powerless, like they can’t find ways to make a difference in the journey ahead. What are the options and best resources? What can be expected after treatment? What are the next steps?
These are the hard questions that drive how the Movember Foundation funds and delivers the True North program (TrueNTH) to aid men with prostate cancer and those who support them.
Year-round care
While Movember is best known for its annual fundraising campaign that takes place every November, it operates and delivers programs year round. The Movember Foundation is the leading global charity dedicated to changing the face of men’s health in the United States and around the world — funding programs in prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health and suicide prevention. Since 2003, the foundation has raised over $837 million and funded 1,200 programs in 20 countries.
In October 2018, Movember launched its 50 Million Men campaign featuring an unprecedented set of digital resources and services aimed at ensuring 50 million American men can live happier, healthier lives over the next five years. Cost-free, these digital resources prioritize prevention, early intervention, and the empowerment of men to better self-manage their health with support from their families, peers, and communities.
These tools include online training programs, health trackers, websites, education indexes, and other services focused on empowering men to take action for their health, make better decisions, and manage their own personal life changes — TrueNTH is one of these important resources.
Finding True North
Through the TrueNTH USA website, participants can learn more about prostate cancer, listen to the experiences of others, and self-register themselves to access powerful, customized tools — tools including support for treatment decisions; symptom and side effects management; exercise, diet and well-being tips; and a PSA tracker for men to regularly update their lab results over time.
With the right information and resources available, men are able to have better control over their decision, and have access to support throughout their experience.
When Andrew’s father was diagnosed with prostate cancer, Andrew wanted to find a way to help his father through his journey.
“Movember provides much needed positivity, as well as practical and applied help to the people who are fighting these diseases, who are actively trying to do the research and the case,” he said. “Programs like TrueNTH are making people aware that they have options, and just starting the conversation in any way possible.”
Trying to find a way to take an active stance and do something is a challenge, but with TrueNTH and Movember, it doesn’t have to be.
Kellie Paich, Global Director of Clinical Quality and Survivorship (Prostate Cancer), The Movember Foundation, [email protected]