Former Whitecaps captain Jay DeMerit is passionate about getting people talking about men’s health issues like prostate cancer.
It’s personal for DeMerit. His grandfather, Jim, struggled with prostate health issues for a long time.
“Any of us are very capable of getting these ailments: myself or my friends and family,” DeMerit says during a recent interview. “We need to talk about it if we’re going to prevent it.”
DeMerit’s passion for men’s health is the driving force behind his involvement with Moustaches for Movember, the fundraiser for Movember Canada set to take over three !oors of Holt Renfrew on Nov. 4.
Movember Canada is a month-long national campaign designed to increase understanding and awareness of men’s health issues, and the Holt Renfrew event is poised to be the largest Movember event in the country.
At Moustaches for Movember, 18 custom-designed ties (see page 7) will be modelled by prominent Vancouver gents, including DeMerit, Branislav Henselmann (Executive Director, Ballet BC), Todd Talbot (host of Love It or List It), CBC News Vancouver anchor Andrew Chang, Tommy Europe (host of Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp), The Amazing Race’s Ryan Steele, and others for auction. Television personality Fiona Forbes will emcee.
It’s essential to have local "gures like DeMerit involved in the event, according to Maninder Dhaliwal, lead organizer of Moustaches for Movember.
“He brings a lot of great attention to the event,” says Dhaliwal. “He can start a lot of conversations about men’s health in groups that don’t usually have those conversations.”
Both Dhaliwal and DeMerit believe that men need to be more open about their own health.
“I think males are a lot quicker to say, ‘No, there’s nothing wrong with me,’” says DeMerit, who still works with the Whitecaps as an ambassador. “We can be a bit more naive than females, that we can have these health issues. I stepped up because there needs to be more guys talking about it and raising awareness about that. Guys like to be macho and tough, but when it comes to health issues, we still need to be aware and that these things can happen.
“Men are programmed or conditioned by society to never complain so they don’t ask for help,” says Dhaliwal. Her own father has prostate issues. “I think there’s so much pressure to be strong all the time, [and] they ignore any issues. This is where PSA [prostate-speci"c antigen] testing is important and you can catch the cancer before it happens. I hope we can help change some of those attitudes.”
DeMerit says it’s about being mindful and knowing what to be mindful of.
“You should be looking for lumps in your nether regions or paying attention to symptoms like blood in your stool. It’s about being aware but not being embarrassed about it either. It could save your life.”
DeMerit, who retired from soccer in July, says it’s a “no-brainer” to stay involved in the city that’s been his home for more than four years now.
“I have enjoyed giving back to a community that’s given me so much,” he says.
He says it was a very easy decision for him and his wife, former-Olympic skier Ashleigh McIvor, to stay in Vancouver after retirement.
“We both feel a strong sense of community here; our interests, our active lifestyles really "t in well with the city and it’s been really good to us in our professional careers,” says DeMerit. “We both enjoy all of the sights, sounds, abilities and people here in the Sea to Sky community. We’ve always embraced that community and that community always embraced us.”
He laughs softly.
“Where would I go? It’s always been a very natural "t for me here over the last four and a half years. I don’t see myself "tting in better anywhere else in the world.”
Tickets start at $20. For more information, and to purchase, go to MoustachesForMovember.ca.
