Over the past decade, a growing network of organizations in the world, the nation, the state and the region have transformed the month of November into a hair-raising experience for a noble cause.

Specifically, groups like Man Up Mahoning Valley use the 11th month of the year to urge men of all ages, races and backgrounds to throw their razors to the increasingly chilly wind, grow some facial hair and join the public-spirited and health-conscious observance of Movember.

According to Man Up, the message of the month is simple: “Grow a Stache, Start a Conversation, Save a Life.”

Movember [mustache merged into November] is designed to change the face of men’s health by raising awareness of some of the most debilitating guy-focused health problems, specifically prostate cancer.

This monthlong observance aims to increase early cancer detection, diagnosis and effective treatments, and ultimately reduce the number of preventable deaths. The American Cancer Society predicts 35,770 American men will die of prostate cancer in 2025, and 313,780 new cases will be reported. Those numbers are forecast to skyrocket even higher now through midcentury as baby boomers come of prime age for the disease.

Reversing that trend illustrates the value of maximum awareness and of Movember activism. Early detection and routine diagnoses can prevent prostate cancer from morphing into a killer.

As any red-blooded Man Up member will advise, never fear the physician’s probing finger. That organization within the Mercy Health Foundation merits praise and support for its leadership and activism in successfully keeping prostate cancer in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties markedly below state and national averages, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

Just as October draws necessary public attention toward the plight of breast cancer in women, November appropriately targets the No. 2 cancer killer of men and No. 1 killer for men over 65.

Statistics offered by the state and Man Up Mahoning Valley, a program of the Mercy Health Foundation in Boardman, illustrate the debilitating toll prostate cancer inflicts on men in the region. Consider:

�–� One in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer.

�–� The Valley’s African-American males, like black Americans nationwide, are more than twice as likely to die from prostate cancer than any other race.

�–� Less than 50% of all men in the Valley have had a digital exam performed within the past year that could provide an early diagnosis and cure.

Such statistics demand support for the monthlong campaign. Men and women alike can choose a variety of ways to help.

First, they can take part in the hair-growing campaign that also includes fundraising and good-natured fun and competition among stache growers in families, factories and offices. In the past, local businesses, safety forces and others have taken part. You can register at us.movember.com.

The Movember movement also has expanded to include a focus on other serious men’s health issues, most notably testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. One Movember activity challenges men to walk or run 60 miles over the course of the month. That’s 60 miles for the 60 men lost to suicide each hour worldwide.

But if you cannot or prefer not to grow a mustache or take a monthlong jaunt, you can still get involved. Simply go to the Bon Secours Mercy Health Foundation website at givebsmh.org and click on the Man Up Mahoning Valley tab to make a one-time or continuing donation. Your contribution will assist in funding screenings, awareness campaigns and direct assistance to prostate patients.

One of the best ways for men to actively support the awareness month, however, is simply to transform awareness into action. Call your doctor today to schedule a painless exam for prostate or testicular cancer. When detected early, such man-killers are totally treatable and largely curable.

The life you save, after all, may be your own.