Amari Collins
It's No Shave November!
According to Noshavenovember.com, "The goal of No Shave November is to grow awareness by embracing our hair, which many cancer patients lose, and letting it grow wild and free.”
With a few members to begin the trend- 50 according to their web site- No Shave November began back in 2009, and now its Facebook page boasts over 93,000 likes.
The movement encourages raising funds to fight cancer in quite a unique way.
“Donate the money you usually spend on shaving and grooming for a month to educate about cancer prevention, save lives, and aid those fighting the battle,” reads the official website.
While many have known someone with cancer, this cause hits close to home. As a testicular cancer survivor for almost fourteen years, Germantown High teacher Rob Thomas speaks openly about his battle of overcoming testicular cancer and actively participates in No Shave November.
His initial diagnose resulted in some life-changing actions.
"My wife and I met while doing a missions internship with a Christian's mission organization, and we always talked about going back to do mission work. After being diagnosed with testicular cancer, even though the prognosis was really good, we realized that there is no better time than the present, and we went on staff with church resource ministries and served on staff in Siberia for two years," said Thomas.
Since testicular cancer can ultimately cause reproductive failure if not caught in its early stages, Thomas was also faced with making other important decisions.
"My wife and I had been married for two years when I was diagnosed with testicular cancer, and we had always talked about having kids, but after being diagnosed it really made us think about adoption," stated Thomas.
Although this disease can be challenging, getting regular check ups can help detect and possibly avoid testicular cancer.
"Thanks to treatment and catching it early, we have had the privilege of having two adopted kids as well as two biological kids," said Thomas.
So, the next time you see someone with facial hair this month, maybe he is choosing to support cancer by not shaving…at least Thomas is.
It's No Shave November!
According to Noshavenovember.com, "The goal of No Shave November is to grow awareness by embracing our hair, which many cancer patients lose, and letting it grow wild and free.”
With a few members to begin the trend- 50 according to their web site- No Shave November began back in 2009, and now its Facebook page boasts over 93,000 likes.
The movement encourages raising funds to fight cancer in quite a unique way.
“Donate the money you usually spend on shaving and grooming for a month to educate about cancer prevention, save lives, and aid those fighting the battle,” reads the official website.
While many have known someone with cancer, this cause hits close to home. As a testicular cancer survivor for almost fourteen years, Germantown High teacher Rob Thomas speaks openly about his battle of overcoming testicular cancer and actively participates in No Shave November.
His initial diagnose resulted in some life-changing actions.
"My wife and I met while doing a missions internship with a Christian's mission organization, and we always talked about going back to do mission work. After being diagnosed with testicular cancer, even though the prognosis was really good, we realized that there is no better time than the present, and we went on staff with church resource ministries and served on staff in Siberia for two years," said Thomas.
Since testicular cancer can ultimately cause reproductive failure if not caught in its early stages, Thomas was also faced with making other important decisions.
"My wife and I had been married for two years when I was diagnosed with testicular cancer, and we had always talked about having kids, but after being diagnosed it really made us think about adoption," stated Thomas.
Although this disease can be challenging, getting regular check ups can help detect and possibly avoid testicular cancer.
"Thanks to treatment and catching it early, we have had the privilege of having two adopted kids as well as two biological kids," said Thomas.
So, the next time you see someone with facial hair this month, maybe he is choosing to support cancer by not shaving…at least Thomas is.