Bluebirds star Luke James has opened up about the very personal reasons he has decided to take part in Movember this year and he is hoping that teammates and fans will back his campaign.
James lost his mother to ovarian cancer during the summer and suffered a further family tragedy when a cousin took his own life just a few weeks later.
Since then, he’s been searching for a way in which he can help raise money and awareness for both cancer and mental health charities – and that’s when he hit on the idea of taking part in Movember.
During the next month, James will be ‘growing a mo’ and hoping to persuade teammates to follow suit, while asking family, friends and supporters to donate whatever they can to support him.
“It’s a good charity and the things it’s connected with are very close to my heart,” said James, in an exclusive interview with the Club’s official podcast to be released next week.
“I know it’s not men’s health related but, in the summer, my mam passed away from ovarian cancer and then a month later my cousin committed suicide.
“It’s been a tough time for me and the whole family because it happened so quickly with my mam, but you have to get on with things and try to look forward.
“I had been thinking about trying to do something positive for a while and then I was literally just flicking through Twitter when Movember popped up and it didn’t look like a bad shout.
“I thought initially that Movember was only about men’s cancers but, having dug a bit deeper, it’s also about mental health. I just thought it brought everything into it and was a good fit around what I was looking to do.
“It would mean the world if people could support me and the lads during the month and hopefully, we can raise a decent amount but also raise awareness around these issues too.”
Click here now if you would like to support Luke James and make a donation to his Movember fund.