Think about your 18-year-old self. Maybe you were embracing your first year of uni, meeting new people and making new memories. Maybe you were still in high school, dreaming of a post-exam life and what awaits you in the big, wide world. And maybe you were just taking it day by day, trying to have as much fun as possible.
That’s what Harry Jordan was doing when he was 18, before his life changed forever. Now, he uses his experience to amplify important mental health messages, including raising awareness for Movember who are on a mission - to stop men from dying too young.
One day abruptly, when Harry was 18, his emotions and behaviour were completely abnormal for him, and he had no clue what was going on or where he was. Luckily, he lived close to a hospital, so his family took him to urgent care where he presented with symptoms of psychosis (where someone has struggles distinguishing reality from non-reality).
“I didn’t know what was happening at all,” Harry says.
“It was super scary.”
After being given some medication and taking it easy for a fortnight, he started to feel better before relapsing again. A month after that, he says he thought he’d recovered. Until a year later, he was driving to the shops to pick up some eggs, and he could feel his psychosis return. Luckily, he knew exactly what to do, and quickly returned home before asking his parents to take him to hospital. Harry hasn’t relapsed since.
When Harry was 21, an opportunity presented itself for him to share his story. Now, he’s spoken in front of 50 to 60 different schools about his lived experience to raise awareness and normalise talking about mental health.
Harry reflects on Movember’s role in his life even before his diagnosis.
“I was always doing Movember separate to my own mental health struggles. One of my friends’ Dad died from prostate cancer while we were at school, so we set up a group straight away which was all about doing Movember.”
Movember was born in Melbourne in 2003, and it’s now the world’s leading men’s health organisation, raising over AUD $1.7 billion for men’s health projects globally. Doing Movember means raising life-saving funds to help fund more projects that improve the lives of men, their families, and their communities. And, Movember is for everyone. People can get involved in a number of ways — they can Move for mental health or, famously - grow a Mo like Harry and plenty of people all over the world have done
“That’s why I like Movember,” Harry says, “it gives you this community that’s focused on men’s health and men’s mental health, and I’m proud to be a part of that community.”
“In my experience of my mental illness, I needed professional help. It helped me to speak to my friends more. I would not have gotten better if I didn't speak up. Ultimately, men also need help. And having these conversations is a gateway to getting that help.”
Speaking up, checking in on your mates, and normalising seeking support - can make a real difference. Men around the world, and here at home, are dying far too soon. In Australia, more than three in four people who die by suicide are men, and suicide remains the leading cause of death in men aged 15 - 54 years.
On top of that, prostate cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in Aussie men, and testicular cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in men aged 15 to 34 in Australia. When men die prematurely, the impact is far-reaching, taking an emotional, practical, and economic toll on partners, children, friends, and entire communities.
This is why Movember, and people like Harry, are so important. Change starts with each of us.
As Harry says, “Anyone can be a part of Movember, which is why I love it so much.”
Join Harry, and get involved this Movember. Whether you grow a Mo, or Move for mental health, together we can rally together to raise funds and save lives. We do it for our fathers, brothers, partners, and mates. Sign up now at Movember.com.
If you or your mates need support, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, or visit movember.com/getsupport
Featured Image Credit: Supplied
The LADbible Team