What is Octobeard?:

A fundraising campaign ( in honor of my best friend who was diagnosed with testicular cancer this summer) to raise awareness about the leading cancer detected in men between the ages of 15-35. Though it is highly treatable when found early, most men don't even think to check themselves -let alone know how -until it's too late.

All the proceeds go to the Testicular Cancer Foundation, which is a 501(c)(3) organization, a great charity that dedicates all their time to raising awareness, and providing people with the necessary information to help detect this disease as early as possible.

How is this Different from Movember?:


It's a beard, it's in October, you can go to work and on dates without looking like a creeper, and it's for a different cancer (specifically testicular vs. prostate and general men's health). It actually coincides perfectly with Movember following it, making it easy to go from beard to mustache. Back to back awareness months, which is nothing but a positive thing.

How to Help:

1. Grow a beard in October (or if you are follically challenged on your face use/make a fake beard). Take a picture and post it to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. with the hashtags #octobeard and #TesticularCancerFoundation (or #TCF) along with the link to this fundraising page (www.octobeard.com)

2. Donate anything - even something as small as $10 dollars helps

3. Retweet, share, or post this link (www.octobeard.com) and help us get the word out.

4. Be awesome and raise awareness.

What is the Goal?:

It' s a little late to be starting this and expect to raise a lot at this point. The goal is to raise a little bit of awareness and any amount of money we can this year, in the hopes that by having a foundation for next year, with more time to get the word out, we can do a lot more.


Why I'm Doing This:

It was Thursday morning July 24th of this year, and I'll remember it like it was yesterday for the rest of my life. I was about to give my best friend the update on my latest girl situation. As I was going to type the text, I received one from him with his own news of the day. He had cancer. Testicular cancer.

It was scary, confusing, depressing, shocking, and life-altering news. We talked about and discussed the diagnosis, the options, the surgery and recovery. I tried to be there for him as much as I could be during the next few weeks. And then, to put everyone at ease, he started making ball jokes, and never stopped. But testicular cancer is no joke. It is the number ONE cancer among men 15-35, and affects so many people, not to mention all the family and friends whose lives change as well. This is the point of the fundraiser.

Thankfully, my friend is cancer free now and looks to be in the clear, and he is lucky he caught it early and it didn't spread. But he will have to keep his eye on the ball and go for tests for the next decade at least. Many others aren't as lucky, and don't even think to examine themselves or get checked until it's too late. I am starting this fundraiser, OctoBeard, to raise awareness and money to help educate men about testicular cancer.

There are three reasons I have a beard now. One is because I was in Costa Rica, hadn't shaved and got a crazy tan, and it would have looked ridiculous to have shaved when I came back. Two is to offset the baldness up top. The third and most important reason I am keeping it though, is to start this fundraiser in honor of my best friend, and allow others to do their part to raise awareness across the country. And it will coincide perfectly with Movember, so you can shave your beard into a mustache for to raise awareness for an equally important cause of prostate cancer and overall general men's health. Let's get those beards growing and get this movement going.