Credit: Connie Carello

Canadian Football Offensive Lineman for the Edmonton Eskimos and former Sault Ste. Marie resident, Aaron Fiaconni is using his career as a football player to bring attention to a serious issue most men would often shy away from. It has only been within the last couple of years that Prostate Cancer has become a topic more widely discussed and promoted through a month-long event known as ?Movember.? Originating in Australia in 2003, the movement addressed men?s health issues including depression. the rules, according to the official movemeber website are as follows, once registered at movemeber.com each ?mo bro? from the beginning of the month must be clean shaven and must grow a moustache, the moustache may not adjoin side burns or the handlebars of the chin, and each member must conduct himself like a gentleman. You may ask, how does growing a moustache help serve the cause? It not only allows those suffering from Prostate Cancer to recognize your MOcontribution as a sign of social support and assistance in the promotion of awareness but enables social organizations to host fundraisers and events to donate proceeds to further fund research. Aaron, has formed a team on movember.com where in which people can pledge him or make online donations for the cause. he is currently the Captain of the Hairy Hogs and has raised nearly $1,200 dollars individually and $21,644 with members from the Eskimo Football team. His reason for putting in the time to do so was very emotionally impacting as Prostate Cancer has affected a close family relative, his father Ken, ?Prostate Cancer in particular is kind of dear to my family as my father has been dealing with the illness for over two years now, receiving radiation treatments at the new hospital. when something like this happens to someone in your family, you go through a lot, anytime you hear the word Cancer it has a negative spin. You tend to focus on the negative and forget that there is some good that does come from such horrible circumstance, and Movemeber is one of them. my father is a testament of the human spirit and a beacon of light and we need to keep battling on.? Speaking with Ken and having the opportunity to meet him allowed me to really understand how much strength combating an illness like this takes. he truly is an inspirational man who does not let his situation hinder his optimism. Currently on his 28th treatment and with only 5 more to go, Ken is in high spirits and openly discusses his diagnosis with the intention of helping others, ?I was diagnosed in December 2010 and received chemotherapy by February. I should have gone for a check up much earlier as I started to experience symptoms. It did not occur to me that it could be Prostate Cancer at the time, but when it affects you personally you are more willing to find out about symptoms, your awareness increases and you find yourself willing to learn.? According to Ken, education was the prominent message he wishes to offer others and encourages men to take a PST blood test (Prostate Specific Antigen Test) as it can detect issues early on. in addition to this, Ken could not be more proud of his son Aaron and of all the other MObro?s who helped join the cause through the growth of a moustache or through donations. ?The support is growing and it is nice to see people willing to look a little silly for a month and drop their macho bravado to draw attention to a cause very close to my heart,? Aaron states. to help Aaron or others raise some cash for the stash please visit the link below, ca.movember.com/mospace/1501154/#. Local2 could not be more proud of those who participated this year!