Siobhain Fletcher, a woman from Northern England, is growing a beard for "Movember," a campaign to create awareness and support for prostate cancer.
Fletcher, 36, was diagnosed more than a decade ago with polycystic ovary syndrome, a hormone imbalance which causes her to grow excessive facial hair.
She wasn't diagnosed until she was 23, but in hindsight, symptoms were there for years.
"When I started getting periods, they never became regular - I thought that was a bonus!" she said.
"I started getting a few hairs, around 15 or 16. Every woman gets facial hair. I thought that was just part of puberty. I cut with scissors, or shaved them off."
Fletcher, who works as a manager of equestrian supplies in the town south of Manchester, had a reflexology session in her 20s that identified the syndrome.
As her hair grew thicker, she tried a variety of options to rid herself of her facial hair.
"I tried waxing at first, and the last waxing session took my skin off, rather than the hair. It was already painful, and it took a while for the skin to heal," she said.
"For my granddad's funeral, I used a cream to take it off, but got a chemical burn."
Fletcher said that she had success with electrolysis, but it could only take 10-15 hairs off in a session, and laser treatments are extremely expensive.
It was earlier this month when her friend Ashley told her of that he was participating in "Movember," the month-long facial hair growing event men participate in.
The goal is raise awareness of prostate and other male cancer (see Nick Offerman PSA above) and Fletcher decided to turn her syndrome into something positive.
"I pointed out that he had a bit of face fuzz, and asked about it. He told me about 'Movember,' and in a spur of the moment decision, I decided to grow mine," she said.
Since setting up her profile on Movermber's UK website, Fletcher has already raised £1,040. She told ABCNews.com that £300 has been raised on her page in the last 24 hours, since her story gained attention. She says she's happy to be getting international recognition.
"It helps people get checked for prostate and testicular cancer, and hopefully people will, instead of going to a funeral, be going to a remission party," she said.
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