BLUE SEPTEMBER NEWS

Blues great gets tough on men

Last Updated: Monday 27th of September 2010 at 03:49:20 PM

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO OF DAVID PARKIN'S REBEL STORE APPEARANCE 

David Parkin, ex-Hawthorn and Carlton premiership coach, took time out of his busy schedule on the eve of the AFL the Brownlow Medal for men’s health campaign Blue September, providing some expert advice for issues both off the field and on it to customers and staff at Chapel Street’s Rebel Sport store in Prahran. It was an opportunity both Rebel Sport and David Parkin were eager to seize upon, with face painting, showbags and some in-depth health discussions all encouraging people to get involved and ‘face up to men’s cancers’.

Rebel Sport staff got in to the spirit of the campaign, painting their own faces blue as well as those of customers. David Parkin was then on hand to engage directly with the people coming through the door, speaking from his own cancer experiences and extensive knowledge base about the risks facing men and the steps that they need to take to ensure against cancer.

 “Every man should be getting a checkup. Anything we can do to whack them around the ears, or encourage them, or entice them, or compel them to get a checkup, I’ll be doing,” said David Parkin.

 Each year 22,000 Australian men are expected to die of cancer, with 1 in 2 Australian men being diagnosed with cancer at some stage of their life by age 85*.

 The event was a big success with the Rebel Sport shoppers, who jumped at the opportunity to speak to the respected coach on the eve of the big game, asking him questions ranging from his thoughts on the next coach of Essendon, to worries they had about their own health, to what he might try and do with Brendan Fevola. David, as always, gave pertinent responses, even convincing one man, who hadn’t been for a health checkup in his entire life and was experiencing some health concerns, to book in for a checkup right then and there.

It was all part of Blue September, an awareness and fundraising initiative encouraging people to ‘face up to men’s cancer’. The idea behind the blue paint, which at times can look a little silly and uncomfortable to put on, is to promote men getting out of their comfort zones by making a radical change to the way they deal with cancer. Men remain more than twice as likely to die from preventable cancers as women, a statistic that Blue September hopes to change.

Ultimately, the goal is to raise funds for cancer research, as well as helping men reduce the risk of cancer by making healthy lifestyle choices. Blue September proudly supports the Australian Cancer Research Foundation and Bowel Cancer Australia.