Go Balls Out
Testicular Cancer is fast becoming a major problem around the world, being the most common malignancy in young men. About 9,310 new cases of testicular cancer are diagnosed daily worldwide and there are 400 deaths as a result.
Last month, it was International Testicular Cancer Awareness Month – a national call-out to young and old males worldwide to go get their balls checked. A necessary campaign for us all to get behind, the month had two main objectives: to educate and to support. This type of cancer is the most common among blokes between 15 and 39 and can really change the quality of a life substantially. It is also the most preventable. Often the bros who need help most don’t get checked due to a shyness to talk about their “private parts”. We, as males, need to change the outlook on this disease and get the bros down to the doctor to get checked.
The #GoBallsOut campaign was.launched in 2017 in which thousands of Kiwi men went for the challenge. An activity in the campaign was running a race course in the shape of ‘cock and balls’.
After its successful run last-year, it shot to worldwide fame, getting picked up by Huffington Post and Mashable amongst many others. This year, famous All Black Andy Ellis was onboard as a new member of the Testicular Cancer New Zealand team who is preaching the benefits of exercise in relation to beating this disease. Exercise lowers the risk of being diagnosed with the cancer.
“I’ve joined up with Testicular Cancer New Zealand because I want to help others to be more aware of the problem,” said Ellis. “I know I never would’ve thought I was at risk of getting the disease when I was younger. You think you’re invincible when you’re a teenager or in your 20s. It’s also not something people feel comfortable talking about openly. But it’s incredibly important to get the word out there and all men need to check themselves.”
People are encouraged to donate to the cause, allowing for greater research in this area and improving the way in which sufferers can beat testicular cancer. By using a ‘txticles’ tool (texting any two ball emojis to 4644) you can make a $3 donation. It launched on the 11th of April, and is still running, so donate to the cause now and help out a bro!