In the past month, 191 Australian men have lost their lives to suicide.
On November 1st, this heartbreaking statistic was laid out for everyone to see as 191 pairs of shoes were left on the sand, each symbolising one of the men who took their lives in the last 30 days.
It also marked the first day of Movember, a global awareness month which highlights men’s health issues including mental health, testicular and prostate cancer.
Co-founder of the Movember Foundation, Adam Garone, said the shoes at Bondi Beach also served as a metaphor that Australia can’t ignore the male national health crisis.
He said:
While the state of men’s health has come a long way since Movember started in 2003, there’s still so much work to be done.
We won’t stop until men are living healthier, happier and longer lives.
Statistics show suicide is the leading cause of death for Australian men aged between 15 and 44. Meaning, on average, six men each day take their own life.
Sydney local, Rachelle Nicole told the Daily Telegraph she lost a good friend to suicide last year.
She said:
Until you spend a day in the shoes of someone who is suffering it’s impossible to appreciate the challenges they’re facing.
Movember is a brilliant way to spread awareness of men’s health, raising funds and getting blokes talking and being more open about mental or physical challenges they might be facing.
But the foundation doesn’t just focus on suicide prevention – they raise funds for all aspects of men’s health including prostate cancer – which will take the lives of 3,300 Australian men this year.
But with Movember’s efforts to raise awareness of male health, money raised over the years has helped the foundation fund over 1,200 game-changing programs in prostate cancer, testicular cancer and suicide prevention around the world.
If you want to donate or sign up for Movember, you can head to the foundation’s website here.
