Cancer and depression in men have affected the lives of these four women who proudly support Movember

MOVEMBER is no longer just for men. Every year, thousands of women mobilize to support this charitable organization, raising funds and raising awareness of various health issues in men, from testicular cancer to prostate cancer, depression and suicide.

Last year, about 25,000 "Mo Sistas" would have taken part in the world.

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"Most women have men in their lives and we all have a role to play in supporting Movember," said Anne-Cecile Berthier of the Movember Foundation.

Here, four Moist journalists explain to Lynsey Hope why they are proud to support the men's charity.

Jules Dorrington

"It's hard to know that he'll never walk his daughters in the alley"

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Jules, 56, of Swanage, Dorset, was devastated by the loss of her 66-year-old husband, Rick, from prostate cancer. He was the father of his daughters Alice, 29, and Clara, 27.

She said, "Before the diagnosis was made, Rick had some symptoms, but he attributed it to aging. He got up a lot at night to go to the bathroom and he could not make a long trip without pausing to pee.

"But in July 2007, Rick was rushed to the Poole Hospital.

"A week later, after a biopsy and a bone scan, he was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. It had stretched to the bones and we were told that it was terminally ill. The shock was incredible.

"Rick has been subjected to hormone therapy to slow the growth of cancer. But in the next seven years he became progressively sicker.

"In April 2014, he died in my arms.

"Losing Rick was horrible. I lost my soul mate and our daughters Alice and Clara lost their father. All of their friends are starting to get married and it is hard for them to know that he will never have the chance to walk down the aisle or meet his grandchildren.

"Alice has been supporting Movember for a long time and has proven that it is more than facial hair. She raised more than £ 15,000 for charity.

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"I've organized many events, quizzes, pastry sessions and I'm working on Movember Christmas jumpers. Clara is also registered to run the London Marathon.

"It's not just about raising money. We want to educate the public about prostate and testicular cancer so that men detect signs earlier than Rick.

"Symptoms do not occur in all cases, so men over 50 should talk to their general practitioner PSA (blood test for prostate specific antigen).

"Women know if something is wrong and they will push a man to see a doctor.

"Many men alone will not do it and that's why the" Mo sistas "are more important than ever."

Rachael Leslie

"We were shocked at how much he was hiding his depression"

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Rachael, a 36-year-old local government employee from Coventry, lost her brother, Jordan Bilsland, to suicide last year.

She states, "My brother Jordan was only 19 years old when he passed away and had just started his second year of studying physics at York University.

"He was popular, always going to parties. He was playing sports and had a lot of friends. From the outside, you would have thought he had everything to live on.

"You imagine that someone with a mental health condition is constantly weak, moping and not leaving the house. But it was not Jordan.

"I was on vacation with my family in September 2017 when that happened. I received a call late at night from my mother.

"It was not obvious from the outset that we committed suicide, but over the next 24 hours we started to reconstruct what had happened.

"We later found a diary and it was clear that Jordan had been fighting depression for a long time.

"We were all shocked at how much he was hiding his feelings. I do not know if he hoped he would just get better, if he thought he was above all help or just did not want to ask for help.

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"We will never know why he did what he did. Women are much better at asking for help. Some men find that difficult.

"The language used by men, such as" fend for themselves "or" recover from that, "is useless.

"We need to improve support for people with mental health issues. The stigma that surrounds it prevents people from coming forward.

"Movember is no longer just a male cancer and mustaches. They want people to talk about mental health and suicide, which is why I want to support them.

"It's too late to help Jordan, but together we can save other young men who feel like him.

"Asking a man to worry if he thinks of killing you will not do it, it may save someone's life."

Zan Melleney

"I wore a fake mustache for a whole month"

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Zan, 33, a mother of two from Salisbury, Wilts, lost her father, Peter, to prostate cancer in June of this year.

She said, "A prostate cancer was diagnosed at dad's in the spring of 2013. We immediately learned that he was terminally ill and our family was devastated. I was desperate to do something good and I could not help dad but I could maybe help someone else.

"In October of the same year, I read something about Movember and had this silly idea of ​​wearing a fake mustache all month to raise money for a charity.

"I had a lot of looks and comments. Some people just ignored it, but the people who participated were brilliant.

"I raised about £ 1,400. I did not tell dad at first, but when he learned that he had donated another £ 100, he gave him £ 1,500.

"I did it again in 2016, so I collected about £ 3,000 for the Movember Foundation.

"Daddy had always been a healthy and active man before he was diagnosed.

"He had no symptoms, and it was only when he went to the doctor for a routine check that a blood test showed that his PSA was at its peak. This is an indication of prostate cancer.

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"He was treated to prolong his life but unfortunately we lost him in June, at the age of 67 years.

"I am very keen to educate people so that men are reminded to take PSA tests regularly after age 50."

Fran Parr

"It seemed empty and looked vacant"

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Project leader Fran, 36, lives in Tower Hamlets, East London, with her 41-year-old husband Gary, who has had suicidal thoughts.

She said, "Last November, I received a message from Gary saying that he had black thoughts. He said that he was scared and that he did not want to be here anymore.

"I knew he was depressed but I did not know that he was suicidal.

"He told me reluctantly what he had planned, although I later discovered that he had not mentioned that he had reserved a hotel room and writes letters to his family.

"As he spoke, he seemed" empty "and had that blank look on his face. I called his psychiatrist.

"When we met him the next day, he quickly realized that Gary was a risk to himself and that he could not stay alone.

"It had been recommended that he be admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

"He was admitted for seven weeks before being released to continue his convalescence at home.

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"After a few months, he was fine. But in August, he had a relapse. He went back to the hospital. Fortunately, the stay was short.

"We both learned that depression is not something that simply disappears.

"Talking can be one of the most difficult things for a person with mental illness. So do not wait for them to talk. Go with your instinct. if you think something is wrong, check them out.

"They may not be ready to talk about things at that time, they may shut up or go crazy about you, but they will know that you like it and are willing to listen, which is powerful for a person in crisis. "

Movember 2018 Photo Session