Hair that shows you care

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake participated again this year in the long-standing Movember campaign, raising awareness for causes like prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health issues.

This year, two council chiefs, Arnold Boyer and Stephen McComber, as well as Chris Stacey, the infrastructure executive officer, took part in growing mustaches in November.

In all, their campaign raised $1,505 for the Kateri Memorial Hospital Center (KMHC)’s cancer support group.

“I’ve been raising awareness on many things that people in the community suffer from - kidney disease, cancer, men’s cancers. Everybody needs support,” said Boyer, the lead on the health portfolio.

Boyer said that still too often, men will wait to the last minute to go see a physician when something feels wrong, or even just to get a checkup.

“It doesn’t hurt to go get a check-up. With cancer, it’s a silent killer. Men out there should go see their doctor for a yearly checkup,” said Boyer.

“Prevention is the key; we should be doing everything to be proactive.”

Growing a mustache is a small gesture, but it’s all part of the awareness efforts, Boyer said.

“People ask me, ‘what’s with the mustache?’ and I say, ‘don’t you know it’s Movember?’” said Boyer.

Although he is a big fan of the cause, the mustache will not be a permanent addition to his look - but it will come back every November for the foreseeable future.

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