For Evan Connor, associate director of development for Movember, the fight for men’s health has never been abstract. It became real the day his father casually revealed he had prostate cancer — a moment Connor says changed the trajectory of his life and his work.
Connor said he was 20 years old when he learned of his father’s diagnosis.
“My dad did it extremely casually,” Connor said. “He had picked me up from school… and he’s like, ‘Oh, I forgot to tell you, I have prostate cancer.’”
Connor said the weight of the moment didn’t sink in until later.
“Even for myself, it didn’t fully resonate in that moment,” he said. “While it clearly looked like he’d caught it early and everything was going to be okay, it was still a bit of a wake-up call for our entire family.”
His father stayed calm throughout treatment, but Connor said the fear of the unknown affected his mother the most.
“I will say it did take a toll on my mom,” he said. “As soon as you hear that, it’s hard not to fear the worst.”
Fifteen years later, Connor’s father is cancer-free. But prostate cancer has left deep scars elsewhere in his family.
“Actually, one of my uncles just passed away three weeks ago. He had four different types of cancers at the time of his passing. His other brother passed away shortly after my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer — of prostate cancer. And then my other uncle, my dad’s other brother, currently has prostate cancer, and he’s doing what’s called active surveillance, where they’re monitoring his prostate cancer.”
Connor said openly sharing these experiences is part of why he continues his advocacy work.
“It does help that next man maybe go out and get screening,” he said. “The best thing my dad did was catch it and take the action.”
While the statistics are serious, the ways people get involved can be fun, bold and inspiring — from growing moustaches to taking on fitness challenges. Each action sparks conversations and supports programs focused on prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health.
Movember’s trademark moustache has become a symbol of solidarity — and a conversation starter.
Canadians are encouraged to sign up online, set a fundraising goal, grow a moustache throughout the month, and raise funds and awareness.
Participants can also move for mental health, walking or running 60 kilometres over the month to honour the 60 men lost to suicide every hour globally.
Connor said the movement works because it gets men talking — something his father, like many others, struggled to do.
“My dad’s like a lot of guys. He’s extremely supportive of everything we do, but when it comes to, at that time at least, having those more in-depth emotional conversations, it wasn’t a strong suit. So there wasn’t much more after that other than, ‘It’s going to be okay.’”
In 2023, 75,000 Canadian men and boys died before reaching their 75th birthday.
On average, Canadian men die 4.5 years earlier than women.
Seventy-five per cent of suicides in Canada are by men.
And one in eight Canadian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer; one in 30 will die from it.
Families are saying goodbye to brothers, fathers, sons and friends far too early.
Last year, 47,000 Canadians joined the Movember movement by raising funds and awareness to change the face of men’s health.
Atiqa Mohammad, director of cancer programs implementation at Movember Canada, said research and new screening tools have transformed prostate cancer outcomes.
“Thanks to research… a lot of progress has been made,” Mohammad said. “The reason also why the survival rate is so high is because a huge part of that is due to early detection.”
Treatment today is more personalized than ever.
“Not every man needs surgery or radiation right away,” she said. “So, for men with low-risk disease, active surveillance is also a safe and common option. And for men with advanced cancer, there’s now targeted and precision therapies that didn’t exist a decade ago. And a lot of that was made possible because of research that a number of organizations, including Movember, have funded.”
Prostate cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Canadian men.
“One in eight men will be diagnosed in their lifetime, and one in 30 will die from it,” Mohammad said. “But the encouraging news is we’ve made huge progress. More than 90 per cent of men will survive at least five years when it’s caught early, and most go on to live long and full lives.”
She said survival is only part of the story.
“Men deserve support for their quality of life — including their urinary function, their sexual health, as well as their mental health and relationships.”
Mohammad said rising case numbers reflect both an aging population and improved detection.
“It’s a combination of the aging population, better detection and shifts in lifestyle, which is why raising awareness and encouraging early detection is more important than ever.”
But silence, she said, remains a barrier.
“The key challenge is ensuring that men feel comfortable talking about their health and accessing supports early. We want men across Quebec — Montreal, Quebec City, Laval, everywhere — to know that screening is easy and conversations with your health-care provider can make all the difference.”
Symptoms are often invisible.
“In early stages, prostate cancer often has no symptoms, which is why screening is so important,” she said. “If you notice changes in urination, difficulty starting or stopping, pain or burning, blood in the urine, or changes to sexual function — those are signals to speak to a health-care provider.”
Her advice is direct:
“Just have the conversation. Talk to your doctor if you’re over 50, or 45 if you’re a Black man or have a family history of prostate cancer. And don’t ignore changes, especially in your urinary and sexual health.”
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Each year, Connor grows a moustache — a tradition he carries with deeper meaning.
“I always try to grow a different style of mustache,” he said. “This is definitely not my regular look.”
For him, it’s a tribute to the men his family has lost — and the ones still fighting.
“My family is predominantly men, especially on my dad’s side… They’re all getting into that age bracket where they do need to start their screening as well. But that’s the reality for a lot of men.”
