Icelandic organisation gains blanket publicity across the country

The Icelandic prostate cancer patients organisation Framför organised a wide range of events to mark Movember, including a special prostate cancer supplement distributed with Iceland’s biggest newspaper – and reaching nearly every home in the country. The publication publicised Europa Uomo and its website, covering the prostate cancer chatbot and the website’s translation facility.

This went alongside widespread advertising and media interviews by Framför and the sale and distribution of prostate cancer awareness pins. Among those given a pin was Björn Skúlason, husband of the President of Iceland Halla Tómasdóttir. “He sat down and chatted with us for an hour,” says Stefán Stefánsson. Skúlason is pictured (centre) with Guðmundur Páll Ásgeirsson (left) and Þráinn Þorvaldsson.

Other activities organised by the association include a seminar on sex and intimacy for couples affected by prostate cancer and a walk outside Reykjavík where people could meet and talk about prostate cancer.

“After all this coverage we had calls from men or their wives or children asking us to contact men who are isolated and not ready to take the steps towards help," said Stefán Stefánsson of Framför. “We at Framför make these calls and even visit men to get them out of their ‘cave’.”

Croatia

The Croatian Society of Prostate Cancer Patients joined the Movember movement by taking part in a public health organisation action in Ban Josip Jelačić Square in Zagreb. Attracting the public with roasted chestnuts (commonly used in Croatia to indicate the shape and size of a prostate), members of the society handed out more than 150 leaflets on prostate cancer and were interviewed by several television companies about prostate cancer.

Ireland

This November, MAC (Men Against Cancer) provided online talks on prostate cancer awareness to two national organisations and one regional rugby team. MAC members also provided a live cancer awareness talk to male students in a secondary school.

 The Endocrine Student Association and Cancer Student Association at University College Dublin are collaborating with MAC in a Movember charity event, raising prostate cancer awareness and funds. As their charity partner, MAC will receive the proceeds from the event.