Things Remembered Takes Cancer by the Globes with "Man Balls"

CLEVELAND, Oct. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- "Balls" is not a term heard commonly during ladies lunches, Thanksgiving dinners or baby showers. But, with one man in the U.S. diagnosed with testicular cancer almost every hour, Things Remembered, the leading national retailer of personalized gifts, is asking women to take cancer by the globes. On October 1st, the retailer introduces a new line of engravable, male-centric bobble-head water/snow globes, affectionately known as "Man Balls." $2 of every Man Ball sale will go directly to the brand's nonprofit partner, The Sean Kimerling Testicular Cancer Foundation, a nationwide organization, dedicated to raising awareness and the importance of early detection.

Through the partnership, Things Remembered and the Foundation will focus on raising money and communicating the importance of early detection to the brand's predominantly female customer base, the general public and the media. With women making approximately 80% of health care decisions for families[i], the retailer's customers have tremendous power to foster awareness among the men in their lives about the most common cancer in men ages 15 to 35.

In November through December, in celebration of the international "Movember" movement, Things Remembered and the Foundation will host a celebrity auction of autographed Man Balls through eBay's Giving Works program, with 100% of proceeds going to The Foundation.

There are six versions of Man Balls (known as "Man Globes" in stores), each celebrating and cajoling men for their occasionally irksome, yet always lovable idiosyncrasies. The line includes:

The Boss
Salute the take-charge man in your life by putting his Man Balls directly on his desk, where he can polish and admire them from the comfort of his leatherback, executive throne.

The Workaholic
If his Bluetooth is fused to his head and the texting stops for no one, then it's time to get your Workaholic's hands off his Blackberry and on some Man Balls.

Ladies' Man
Before you decline that personal invite to check out his new hot tub, give your Ladies' Man a pair of Man Balls to keep him company.

Beer Man
The party stopped laughing with him about six beers ago, so gently remove his hand from the beer and place it around an ice-cold Man Ball.

"With early detection, testicular cancer has a cure rate of more than 90%. Unfortunately, at an age when most men feel invincible, many are unaware of the facts or uncomfortable with self-checks and talking with their doctors," explains Amy Myers, Vice President of Creative Services at Things Remembered. "The majority of our customers are women with tremendous influence over their family's health care decisions. By introducing Man Balls, we hope our manliest globes ever, serve as an educational tool to remind men to self-check themselves for lumps — a vital routine for early detection."

"Our mission, in my son Sean's memory, has always been to communicate the importance of early detection and treatment. Therefore we are pleased to be partnering with Things Remembered to reach so many people, who are close with men most at-risk for testicular cancer," said Noah Kimerling, president and CEO of the Foundation. 

"I found the most jarring statistic to be that half of all men diagnosed do not seek medical attention until after the cancer has spread, and then the chance of survival decreases as the disease progresses," said Myers. "This topic makes people uncomfortable, but embarrassment is a major reason why many men go undiagnosed and the cancer spreads. If we can help save lives by starting this vital conversation in an approachable, but attention-grabbing way, then we have done what we set out to achieve with this product line and partnership."

About Things Remembered
Things Remembered, based in Highland Heights, Ohio, is the nation's leading chain of personalized gift stores, with more than 600 stores in 48 states. For more news, follow Things Remembered on Twitter and Facebook.

About The Sean Kimerling Testicular Cancer Foundation
The Sean Kimerling Testicular Cancer Foundation was established in memory of Sean Kimerling, the Emmy Award-winning anchor of WB 11 sports and pre-game announcer for the Mets. Sean died from testicular cancer on September 9, 2003. He was only 37. The Foundation is the premier organization focused on the importance of testicular cancer awareness, early diagnosis, and treatment. Through its efforts, the Foundation provides answers, and promotes action in the fight against testicular cancer.

[i] The United States Department of Labor (http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/newsroom/fshlth5.html)

Related Links:
Things Remembered Man Balls
Sean Kimerling Testicular Cancer Foundation
Facebook
Twitter

Image with caption: "Things Remembered takes testicular cancer by the globes with the launch of "Man Balls." With one man in the U.S. diagnosed with testicular cancer almost every hour, the leading national retailer of personalized gifts, is asking women to take cancer by the globes. On October 1st, Things Remembered introduces a new line of engravable, male-centric bobble-head water/snow globes, affectionately known as "Man Balls." $2 of every Man Ball sale will go directly to the brand's nonprofit partner, The Sean Kimerling Testicular Cancer Foundation, a nationwide organization, dedicated to raising awareness of testicular cancer and the importance of early detection." Image available at: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131001/MM88067-a

Image with caption: ""With early detection, testicular cancer has a cure rate of more than 90%. Unfortunately, at an age when most men feel invincible, many are unaware of the facts or uncomfortable with self-checks and talking with their doctors," explains Amy Myers, Things Remembered's Vice President of Creative Services. "If we can help save lives by starting this vital conversation in an approachable, but attention-grabbing way, then we have done what we set out to achieve with this product line and partnership."" Image available at: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131001/MM88067-b

Image with caption: "Through their partnership, Things Remembered and the Sean Kimerling Testicular Cancer Foundation will focus on raising money and communicating the importance of early detection to the brand's predominantly female customer base, the general public and the media. With women making approximately 80% of health care decisions for families, Things Remembered's customers have tremendous power to foster awareness among the men in their lives about the most common cancer in men ages 15 to 35." Image available at: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131001/MM88067-c

SOURCE Things Remembered