First the bad news: I’ve been hit by testicular cancer.

Now the good news: I’m hitting back, and you can help!

Donate to my Movember campaign.

Then make a matching donation to my MoGaza campaign (through Medical Aid for Palestine; just choose "MoGaza" on the dropdown list).

Movember

In September of this year, I found out that the tumor in my right testicle was cancer. Since that time, I’ve been planning on growing a moustache as part of the Movember movement. Movember’s moustache-growing MoBros and supportive MoSistas raise money every November to fight testicular cancer, fight prostate cancer and promote men’s mental health. For thirteen years Movember has been “changing the face of men’s health.” I’m proud to grow my Mo for the cause, encouraging people to donate on my MoSpace. So please give generously!

Cancer has meant going through all kinds of tests, an operation to have my testicle removed and more tests. Plus it means more tests for the next ten years or so, and if (heaven forbid) the cancer comes back, it will also mean more treatment (likely chemo therapy).

All of that really sucks. Movember is funding programs to help guys like me live with cancer and funding research to advance the fight against cancer, which is awesome.

MoGaza

I’m lucky to be living in a place where I can benefit from the best treatment to fight this scary disease. Since the tumor was detected early and the cancer was not very aggressive, my prognosis is excellent. It is highly unlikely that I will die from this.

But a Palestinian boy or man in my situation, especially one living in Gaza, might have a very different prognosis. The resources needed to fight cancer are exceedingly rare. The lack of resources is due to the destruction wrought in Gaza by Operation Cast Lead in 2008-2009 during which hospitals were bombed by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and has been exacerbated by an Israeli-imposed embargo. All too often, cancer is a death sentence in Gaza.

That is why I’m encouraging folks who donate to my Movember campaign, to consider making a matching donation to MoGaza. MoGaza is my way to open a new front in the fight against cancer. Through the registered charity Medical Aid for Palestine, you can donate to fight cancer in the occupied territories. Be sure to select “MoGaza” on the dropdown list.

My Dual-purpose Mo

My Mo is for Movember and for MoGaza. Let’s change the face of men’s health in Canada, and, while we’re at it, let’s fight cancer in Palestine. Why not grow a dual-purpose Mo yourself? Encourage your Movember donors to make matching donations to fighting cancer in Palestine!

David Bernans is a Québec-based writer and translator. He is a longtime Palestinian-solidarity activist and author of Collateral Murder. Follow him on twitter @dbernans.