The fight against men's cancer has begun in Windsor-Essex.
The official kickoff for Grow On Windsor 2020 took place Monday in Essex. During the month of November, men are invited to let their mustaches and beards grow out to raise money for men's cancer research, as well as raise awareness for treatment and prevention of cancer in males.
Houida Kassem, executive director of the Windsor Cancer Centre Foundation, told BlackburnNewsWindsor.com that the COVID-19 pandemic forced a rethinking of this year's campaign.
"With this being a pledged-based campaign, it makes it easier for people, just from the comfort of their own homes, to log on and donate at will," said Kassem.
This year, the funds being raised will help purchase two vital items for cancer patients receiving radiation. One is the Blue Phantom, which measures a number of different characters of the radiation beam to ensure that treatment is administered safely. Kassem said the current Blue Phantom used by the cancer centre is 12 years old.
The other item is the microSTARii System, which is used to verify a dose for quality control.
Seven ambassadors have been chosen to help raise money for Grow On. One of them is Cypher Systems Group co-founder and Windsor Spitfires co-owner Stephen Savage. Kassem said Savage faced obstacles of his own during his cancer battle.
"Unfortunately at the time, the treatment that he needed, he couldn't have here [in Windsor]," said Kassem. "So he had to leave Windsor in order to have his treatment. Since that time, the equipment that he needed for his particular cancer, we now have that here, and that's from fundraising efforts like Grow On."
Up to this year, Grow On Windsor has raised a total of $1 million, with all funds staying in Windsor-Essex. Kassem said last year's Grow On campaign raised about $340,000.
For complete information on how to register, or on how to pledge your support, visit the official Grow On Windsor website.