Carlton midfielder Andrew Carrazzo has joined the fight against men’s cancer.
 
The 27 year old has teamed up with Blue September, an awareness and fundraising initiative for men’s cancer, to support the Australian Cancer Research Foundation and Bowel Cancer Australia.
 
Speaking at Melbourne’s Flinders Street Station yesterday, Carrazzo said men needed to move on from a time when going to the doctor’s was a sign of weakness.
 
“The Blue September cause is brilliant. The stigma of a previous generation was to stay away from your doctor, but I think that’s slowly changing.” he said.
 
“I’ve had a history of a few health issues in my family, so I’m constantly encouraging members of my family to go and get their health checked.”
 
Each year, more than 22,000 Australian men die of cancer, with lung, prostate, bowel, melanoma and testicular cancer the leading cause of death.
 
Carrazzo, who has played 138 games for the Blues since his debut in 2004, said men needed to realise that serious illnesses could be prevented by a simple visit to their GP.
 
“Guys have got that macho pride where they think they can tough out anything, so we are trying to raise awareness to go and get your check-ups and look after your health,” he said.
 
Blue September is a campaign created to get the message out about cancer in men. It aims to raise awareness among all Australians about cancers affecting men and urges them to take preventative action by improving lifestyle choices.
 
The campaign also encourages people to make a donation for cancer research, to help find a cure for the disease that affects so many Australian men.
 
For more information, visit www.blueseptember.org.au