Onkoman has balls
The Players Promotion has once again offered their helping hand to the ONKOMAN Society by raising awareness of testicle cancer. The oncology patients, who survived cancer, proved themselves, and mostly to others, they can lead active lives and do sports after their illness on the road from Ljubljana to Koper of over 100 km.
We, men, are definitely different creatures, who reluctantly show their pain, we are always strong, except when it comes to caring for ourselves. It is then we forget health is the most important thing; many have realised this the hard way, and some even too late. Suddenly, there are no emergency deadlines, no rushing and no nervousness. Cancer stopped time for us and gave us an opportunity to find happiness in our future endeavours. A happiness within, which is different and unique for each one of us.
The reason for showing the weaknesses as well is mostly to make it easier for us, mostly to stop considering our environments and mostly to be happy. Yes, even during the illness.
What about after the illness? Some return to their routines, other find a new life path, and some use their story and appearance to help other, who are dealing with their illness in one way or another.
We met the ONKOMAN Society, which was established to raise awareness you can live actively and do sports after the illness.
Ten cured oncology patients in Slovenia showed and proved they can lead active lives after the illness in the early morning, rather in the middle of the night. They cycled more than 100 km from Ljubljana to Koper in less than five hours to raise awareness and support a member of the ONKOMAN Society at the IRONMAN finish line.
Even more, during their voyage and mostly at the finish line, they enthralled everyone with an extremely innovative method of raising awareness and inviting people to self-examination and consequently reduction of cancerous illnesses and early detection of the illness. Our para-Olympian Primož Jeralič joined them for support and encouragement by showing his big heart and respect.
The slogans and provocative photographs caught the interest of many people on their route and incited a wave of enthusiasm among the visitors to the largest triathlon event in Slovenia.
Men are different, and this is definitely the right way to show people, cancer doesn’t mean an end. Before us stood the real ONKOMEN, full of energy and life, making it hard to imagine they had survived the difficult treatment.
The campaign was best described by the vice-president of the ONKOMAN Society, Matej Pečovnik, who himself survived lymphatic cancer:
“With one word – ONKOMANTASTIC! We felt the presence of this feeling that each turn of the pedals helped someone turn their story in the hospital over to the positive side. The path resembled the cancer treatment. Some moments were steep, rainy, cold or windy, but at the end we were welcomed by sunshine. I am convinced treatment is similar to this and if illness is detected in the early stages, there is a big chance, there is sunshine at the end. It is our mission to raise awareness, to be happy and make a difference, where we can. I believe this is a unique project, which should be repeated. In my eyes it was pure pleasure.”
The objective was reached, and we cannot wait for the future ONKOMAN campaigns.
