Mos back men’s health

MOVEMBER is upon us and Wonthaggi’s Josh Plumb has decided to sport the “Chopper” look to mark the month long fundraising event for men’s health.
Whilst Josh loves to have a bit of a laugh, his participation in Movember carries with it an extremely important message.
Josh was twice diagnosed with testicular cancer over the course of three years. He is now committed to ensuring all men take their health seriously.
He was first diagnosed as a 19 year old in 2012.
“It came as a shock because I was fit and healthy. I started noticing discomfort and decided to get it checked out. Scans showed I needed surgery on the right side,” he said.
“I was lucky I did decide to go the doctor because the cells had started to split. I needed a high dose of chemotherapy in one hit.”
Chemotherapy can lead to infertility and early action meant Josh was able to ensure IVF would be an option for him in the future.
It was lucky he did so, because he was diagnosed again three years later.
“I was told I wouldn’t be able to have children naturally, which is a hard thing for a 22 year old to hear,” he said.
Josh participated in Movember for the first time in 2016, a year after his second diagnosis.
“I was motivated to get more awareness out there. I set the target at $500 and reached $1000 overnight,” he said.
“I reset it to $1500 and reached $2500 in a couple of weeks, which I was stoked with.”
This year, Josh has raised $2340 as of last week, with the goal of reaching $3000.
Donations started flowing within the first four hours of his campaign due to a video he posted on Facebook.
In the video, Josh shared his story and urged men to see a doctor if they are worried about their health.
“I couldn’t believe how many people viewed the video. It’s a huge thing to be able to get my message out. By encouraging someone to get checked out, it could save a life,” he said.
Josh said one of the best decisions he made was sharing his concerns with his family.
“At first, I didn’t tell my family I had made these appointments. They were very supportive and my dad pushed for prompt surgery. I had been going through the public system but my family pushed for more options and I became a priority patient,” he said.
“Weeks later I heard back from the public system. Those few weeks could’ve changed the outcome.”
Josh recalled a man he had met at the hospital, who had commended Josh for taking fast action.
“I spoke to another patient who said he was too proud to see a doctor and is left will half a lung because his cancer spread so fast. He said ‘good on you’ for getting it checked out,” he said.
“You never know how serious something can be. You’re better off getting it checked out and having it be nothing than not going at all.”
Josh encouraged everyone to be brave when it came to their health, as he too was once the type of guy who would prolong a visit to the doctor.
“Being too proud is nothing to be proud of. It’s not just about you, it’s about the friends and family it will affect. A little bit of discomfort for peace of mind in the long run is better than being too late,” he said.
“People say I should be proud to have the courage to speak about my battle. I am proud because it has the potential to help someone. I have the opportunity to reach out to others and hopefully make a little bit of a difference.”
You can donate to Josh by heading to mobro.co/joshuaplumb.

Supporting others: Wonthaggi’s Josh Plumb is raising valuable funds for the Movember Foundation and sharing his story to encourage more men to look after their health.

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Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Nov 27 2018. Filed under Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry