"Bring your balls": An event to raise awareness and remove taboos surrounding men’s health as part of the Movember action month
Brussels, 18 November 2024 – As part of Movember, a month dedicated to raising awareness of men’s health, the Jules Bordet Institute is organising the “Bring your balls” event on Monday 25th November. An invitation for men, both young and not so young, to find out more about men’s health in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere over a game of pétanque. This unique event aims to encourage men to open up and freely discuss health issues on which they too often remain silent: men’s mental health, the side effects of male cancers, and prevention. The concept originated in a unique collaboration between care staff and patients who also want to break taboos.
The importance of breaking down barriers surrounding men’s health
Fearing a loss of masculinity and feeling shame or embarrassment in talking about it, men rarely dare open up about their physical or mental health. Yet they are also at risk of being affected by cancer at some point in their lives. Removing taboos and opening up about the disease are nonetheless essential when you consider that the earlier a cancer is detected the greater the chances of remission. “Bring your balls” places reality on the table, highlighting the advice of specialists and the accounts of men who have experienced major health problems with the aim of increasing public awareness. Because a man well informed is a man better prepared to look after his health, this event intends to dispel prejudice.
A collaborative project: patents, carers and patients-experts combine their strengths
It was by involving a unique trio that this project came about: the team of counselling and well-being care nurses (Danaë, Marie-Françoise, Mireille and Fiorella); Anhthi, the Jules Bordet patient-expert; and Nicolas, a patient who knows all too well how men need to break the taboos surrounding their health. It was also Nicolas, a graphic artist, who created the campaign’s visuals with a strong and accessible design to encourage everyone to talk and to act.
A fun approach to serious subjects
With a touch of humour, “Bring your balls” draws inspiration from a game of pétanque to open up the debate on testicular cancer, the prevention of male cancers and also the mental health and challenges of men faced with illness. Healthcare professionals – doctors, nurses and well-being experts – will be hosting workshops and offering practical advice so that every man can leave with useful and essential information. After having enjoyed a game of pétanque!
Evenement Ramène tes boules.pdf
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Gabrielle Vanhoudenhove
Clara Mercier
About the Jules Bordet Institute
An integrated multidisciplinary centre, the only one of its kind in Belgium, the Jules Bordet Institute is an autonomous hospital dedicated exclusively to cancerous diseases.
During the past 80 years the Jules Bordet Institute has been offering its patients diagnostic and treatment strategies at the leading edge of progress to prevent, detect and actively fight cancer. The Institute pursues three missions: care, research and teaching. The Institute's international reputation attracts leading experts in the field of cancer. Its spirit of innovation has enabled it to participate in the development and discovery of new methods of diagnosis and major treatment innovations, with the aim of translating the results into improved patient care as rapidly as possible.
In May 2028, the Jules Border Institute was officially awarded, for the second time, OECI (Organisation of European Cancer Institutes) accreditation as a "Comprehensive Cancer Center", a quality label reserved for multidisciplinary cancer care institutions that combine research and training. The Jules Bordet Institute is the only Comprehensive Cancer Centre with OECI accreditation in Belgium.
On 28 November 2021, the Jules Bordet Institute opened its new building on the ULB university campus in Anderlecht with 80,000 m² fully dedicated to leading edge cancer care, research and training, as well as a patient well-being centre. It offers 250 hospitalisation beds and 43 day hospitalisation beds.
The Jules Bordet Institute is also part of the H.U.B., the University Hospital of Brussels, which includes the Erasmus Hospital, the Jules Bordet Institute and the Queen Fabiola Children's Hospital. Thanks to new investments, this internationally renowned university hospital group is able to guarantee high quality care accessible to all combined with excellence in research and training.
ABOUT THE H.U.B
The Hôpital Universitaire de Bruxelles (H.U.B) is the academic hospital of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), which unites the Jules Bordet institute, the Erasme Hospital and the Queen Fabiola Children’s University Hospital (HUDERF) since 2021.
As an international reference center, located in the heart of the Brussels Region, the H.U.B offers high quality general, oncological and pediatric care.
This excellent care, accessible to all, is enriched and sustained by a dual approach of scientific research and teaching for the caregivers of tomorrow.
In 2022, the H.U.B. is composed of more than 6,000 employees who share the following values: Interest of the patient, Respect, Commitment, Solidarity, Diversity and Inclusion, and the principle of Free enquiry.