MILWAUKEE — To spread awareness of men’s health issues, both physical and mental, Spanning the State’s Brian Noonan is making a statement by growing his mustache through the duration of November 2024!
Spanning the State’s Movember Contest
620 WTMJ & Spanning the State are giving away two (2) tickets to the Orlando Magic at Milwaukee Bucks game on January 15, 2025. Fans may enter by submitting a photo of their facial hair during Spanning the State between 12:00 PM/CST on Sunday, November 24, 2024, and 12:00 PM/CST on Sunday, December 1st, 2024. There will be one (1) grand prize in the contest. The total ARV of the Grand Prize is $150. Click here for complete contest rules.
The Start of Brian’s Movember:
What is Movember and how can you participate?
Mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer – we’re taking them all on. Since 2003, Movember has funded more than 1,250 men’s health projects around the world, challenging the status quo, shaking up men’s health research and transforming the way health services reach and support men. Movember exists to help men live happier, healthier, longer lives. For more information about Movember, click here.
For Brian, this initiative is catered specifically toward helping to raise awareness of men’s mental health issues, and to “encourage stubborn guys like me to seek treatment for physical and mental health issues before it’s too late.” You can contribute to Brian’s efforts by clicking here to donate.
WTMJ & Spanning the State will hold a contest at the end of Movember, where they will select the “most impressive Movember ‘stache.” The winner will receive two tickets to a Milwaukee Bucks game!
Week One: November 8, 2024
Look closely. You can see the beginnings of my Movember ‘stache. I’m adding a soul patch, just for fun.
One of the reasons I decided to grow a mustache for Movember was because of their commitment to men’s mental health. That’s the focus for this week. Mental Health is an issue I’ve been dealing with for a long time. I’ve seen the results of mental health crises. Two of my friends committing suicide.
Guys as a whole still try to “tough it out” when we’re having dark thoughts, suffering with depression or any number of other mental health issues. There’s a stigma and outdated shame that goes with admitting we need help. I was in that place. I used to try to hide that I was seeing a therapist and taking meds. That mentality needs to stop. This is a serious global issue.
Globally, on average, one man dies by suicide every minute of every day. In the US, the rate of male suicide is alarmingly high: approximately 4 in 5 suicides are men.
Movember looks at mental health through a male lens, focusing on prevention, early intervention and health promotion.
Movember works towards a world where men take action to be mentally well and are supported by those around them.
Th issue of suicide is incredibly complex. One thing is sure. Improving overall mental health and helping men establish better social connections can reduce suicide. Movember united experts funding new approaches and embracing fresh perspectives.
This is how we win the fight: with education, conversations that matter, services that work for men, bright minds brought together, Community First and Advocating for all men.
If you or someone you know is in crisis and need to speak with someone immediately, contact National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-278255, Lifeline Crisis Chat, or National Alliance on Mental Illness at 800-950-6262 or text “NAMI” to 741741
You can get more information on Movember and donate to my page if you’d like at us.movember.com
You can also follow my mustache progress and get links to the Movember website on WTMJ.com or text Mustache to 855-616-1620
Week Two: November 15, 2024
It’s time for another Movember update. This is the end of the second week of Movember and while my sweet lip fuzz is continuing to grow, I’m starting to worry that my dream of sporting an impressive handlebar ‘stache to Thanksgiving dinner might not come true. I am amazed though at how many colors of hair are present in my mustache/soul patch combo. You can follow my facial hair sojourn by texting “mustache” to 855-616-1620.
OK, now for the important stuff. As you know Movember is fighting to change the face of men’s health by focusing on three main areas, mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer. Today we focus on prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among men worldwide. In fact, it’s the most common cancer in men over 45. It’s estimated that over 1.4 million men are diagnosed with prostate cancer annually, while a further 11 or so million are living with or beyond the disease.
We had a chance to sit down with Dr. Jon Keekly a urologist with Aurora Health Care. He has expertise in treating surgical removal of the bladder, kidney removal surgery, prostate cancer, and men’s sexual health. He shared some of his expertise about prostate cancer.
Interview
For more information on prostate cancer, Movember or to donate to my page text mustache to the WTMJ Talk and text line at 855-616-1620.
Week Three: November 22, 2024
It’s Friday and that means it’s time to check the progress of my newly minted mustache that I’m growing to support Movember, a month dedicated to raising awareness and supporting charities on the front lines of the fight for men’s health. There’s a concerning amount of white in my ‘stache, but that won’t deter me from finishing the month strong. Enough about my spectacular follicle follies, but if you want to see pictures and catch up on what we’ve covered this month, Text “Mustache” to 855-616-162. You can also donate to my page if you want.
So far we’ve talked about men’s mental health and suicide prevention and prostate cancer. Today we turn our gaze lower to focus on testicular cancer. Testicular cancer is the #1 cancer in younger guys. But good news: it’s highly curable when caught early. We had the opportunity to talk to Dr. Mark Ehers a urologist with Aurora Health to get the lowdown on men’s family jewels. Here’s our conversation.
For more information on testicular cancer, the Movember campaign and to donate to my page, text “mustache” to the WTMJ talk and text line at 855-616-1620.
Week 4: November 29, 2024
Today is the beginning of the final days of Movember. Checking on my lip fuzz reveals that it has come in pretty well for only a few weeks. Personally, it’s a lot lighter than it used to be, but it has given me an opportunity to talk about the importance of men’s health and the work that Movember is doing. I’m not sure if I’ll keep the ‘stache, since my wife likes me better clean shaven, but the good thing is, I can always grow one again next year.
I’ve been very happy to be able to share the fun of growing the mustache, but I’m more honored to have been able to share the health issues men are facing, speak to doctors and share important information on prevention, treatment and life after surviving. When the month started my goal was to talk about mental health and suicide prevention since it is an issue that hits close to home. I’ve heard from a number of people that told me it hit close to home for them as well. Then we talked about prostate and testicular cancer. I knew about the diseases, but had no idea how they affected men in such great numbers. I know this information helped me and I hope it helped someone else. Guys, (myself included) tend to be a little stubborn when it comes to seeking medical help. If talking about this on the show penetrated one man’s thick skull and made them rethink their health, the segment served its purpose.
Thank you for your support. If you want to make a last minute donation, you can go to my donation page.
In an effort to thank you for your support of this effort and to have a little fun, WTMJ is presenting the “Spanning the State” Movember Mustache Challenge! To enter, click here or text “Mustache” to 855-616-1-620!
620 WTMJ & Spanning the State are giving away two (2) tickets to the Orlando Magic at Milwaukee Bucks game on January 15, 2025. Fans may enter by submitting a photo of their facial hair during Spanning the State between 12:00 PM/CST on Sunday, November 24, 2024, and 12:00 PM/CST on Sunday, December 1st, 2024. There will be one (1) grand prize in the contest. The total ARV of the Grand Prize is $150. Click here for complete contest rules.
