Men’s Health Awareness Month: 3 men share the mo- ments that shaped their approach to self-care
By Abi Jackson, PA
With Movember in swing once again and International Men’s Day on November 19, this month puts men’s health in the spotlight.
We asked three men with very different stories to tell us about their own health journeys, and the moments that shaped their approach to self-care…
Tom Gozney, 37, lives in Hampshire with wife Laura, son Ty, four, and daughter Eden, two. His pizza oven business, Gozney (gozney.com), recently released a Signature Edition Roccbox, with £40 from each sale being donated to charities supporting people with drug and alcohol dependencies, including With You in the UK. “My path to addiction probably began when I was a kid, struggling at school. I was dyslexic, which wasn’t recognised much then, and lightly bullied.At 13, I met a group of lads who’d hang out smoking weed, and for the first time ever, I felt like I’d found my place. By 16, we’d moved onto harder drugs and drinking, and I started getting into trouble. “I felt guilty for the worry I was causing my family, but getting wasted enabled me to mask that.Towards the end of my teens, I started trying to calm down – which is when I realised I’d lost all control.Then one night I was violently attacked. Badly injured and traumatised, this was my turning point. Not long afterwards, I called my mum and said I was ready to get help.Two weeks after my 21st birthday, I checked into rehab for almost a year. It was life-changing – but it was back in the real world where the real recovery journey began, as I now had a void to fill. Cooking gave me an outlet. I’d get lost in the rituals of prepping food, and cooking for people bought new community and purpose. It eventually turned into a business, making pizza ovens, which essentially saved me. But although drugs were in the past, addiction was still part of my life – that’s been a never-ending learning curve.At first, I threw myself too deep into work. I was obsessed with checking emails, getting new deals, at the same time eating a lot and barely exercising, which took a toll on my health. “It might sound incredibly simple, but the biggest challenge in my life has been finding balance. I put away my phone in the evenings now, so I can be present with my family. I move my body every day, whether it’s walking the dog, the gym, whatever.After neglecting my health for so long, this is a gift.And I try to laugh and have fun.That’s super important too.” Dr Jeff Foster, 43, is a GP, founder of men’s health services H3 Health (drjefffoster.co.uk) and author of Man Alive:The Health Problems Men Face And How To Fix Them. He lives in Leamington Spa with his wife and two children, aged 10 and eight.
“I was diagnosed with type one diabetes when I was 17, which meant I’d need to monitor my blood glucose and take daily insulin injections for the rest of my life. I’d had classic symptoms – extreme, unquenchable thirst, peeing a lot –
Dr. Jeff Foster / PA
Sean Conway /Pa
Tom Gosmey / PA
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