Happy Movember Everybody!
It has already been a few years, but it still feels like yesterday. It was a very normal afternoon, and I was sitting in the car with my girlfriend at the time and our dog, ready to go on an afternoon excursion. It seems as though bad news always approaches when you least expect it, doesn’t it? My phone rang, and it was my long-time friend from high school, Robert. Weird, I thought, we haven’t talked in ages! My heart fluttered with excitement to talk to my old buddy. Excitement turned to horror as he delivered the news. “Curtis has cancer.”
Curtis Truett is the type of guy who can brighten even the grayest days. He’s got a smile that stretches from ear to ear, and a laugh that rumbles to your soul. I’ve never met a person in this world who had a bad word to say about Curtis, nor do I ever expect to meet such a soul. Disliking Curtis would be something akin to hating puppies; it would be hating hot chocolate on a snowy day; Disliking Curtis Truett would be like hating sunshine – it just wouldn’t make any sense. He is unequivocally one of the greatest people I have ever met, and somebody I am proud to call one of my very best friends. How could this happen to him?
It was testicular cancer. And he needed surgery immediately. After hanging up with Rob, I drove straight to Greeley to be with my friend; my brother. He had already gone into surgery by the time I arrived. For the next few hours, I played the longest waiting game of my life. His family was there wearing the expression that I was feeling on the inside. Worry. Angst. Confusion. After what seemed like ages, the doctor’s came out and delivered some of the best news I have ever heard. The surgery was a success, and Curtis was recovering.
Over the next few months, I watched as my friend fought bravely through round after round of chemo, showing me strength and courage along the way. And he never lost that smile. Luckily, the cancer never returned. Thank God, Curtis has been in remission now for a few years, but that period of time in my life is one I’ll never forget.
(We all shaved our heads for Curtis. He’s in the blue on the lower left-hand side.)
From that point forward, I decided that I was going to make a difference. I even contemplated changing my major, to pursue a career in pediatric oncology (my lack of knowledge in biology proved to be a problem). But even though I cannot rid the world of cancer myself, I am going to do something. Or rather, grow something. I have decided to participate in Movember.
I am growing a mustache for the duration of November to support men’s health awareness. Movember was created by 30 men in Melbourne, Australia in 2003, and has grown to include over 4 million people through last year (movember history). This movement has raised over 559 million dollars for men’s health issues, specifically for prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health issues. Curtis was one of the lucky ones. Of the 8,820 new cases diagnosed this year, 380 men will die from testicular cancer. Even worse, 1 in 36 men will die from prostate cancer, accounting for 22% of male cancer-related deaths.
So, here’s my fundraiser: For every world race donation that I receive during the month of November, I will be matching 10% of your donation, with a donation of my own to the US Movember Foundation. I have also created a profile with the US Movember Foundation, if you’d like to donate straight to the cause yourself (http://mobro.co/williamstupansky). Thanks for reading. And thank you for your consideration to support this cause (as well as my own World Race journey).
God loves you. And so do I. Have a wonderful day.
