Travis Chalmers

I'm Riding for Men's Health in The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride

Hello everyone, after a year away, I am participating in fundraising for the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride for 2025.  The DGR is a fundraising effort in conjunction with the Movember foundation to raise money to support initiatives in the fields of mens' mental health as well as prostate cancer.

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, prostate cancer accounts alone for nearly 25% of all cancer cases in men.  (https://cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-types/prostate/statistics)

Thankfully, the survival rate is climbing, likely due to advances in testing and treatment, and also awareness, which is why I'm participating in this event.

In the area of mental health, as many of you know, I have had personal experience as I learned to first be aware of and later manage the stressors and my reactions to them as I began to focus on improving my mental health.  There are numerous statistics, all of them valid, about issues men face regarding their mental health, but I participate in this event for two main reasons:

1) Statistically, men are far less likely to seek help when it comes to managing their mental health, and, 

2) 3 out of 4 suicide deaths are men

These statements are supported by data used in an informational pamphlet from the mens' mental healt commission  of Canada, (seen at : https://mentalhealthcommission.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Mens-Mental-Health-and-Suicide-in-Canada-Key-Takeaways.pdf)

Regardless of the reasons for mens' struggles with mental health, I feel it is important for men to be aware of their mental health, and seek help when necessary - not just professional help either; reaching out to friends and family played a huge part in my efforts to 'turn the ship around' and I still need to keep an active eye on my own health as life continues to evolve and change.

It is for the reasons above that I am raising funds again this year to promote awareness of mens' mental health and prostate cancer.  Thanks for stopping by.  Thanks also for any donations you're able to contribute!  Most of all, thanks for your positive support over the years.

Sincerely,

Travis