By Ven Virah,
Special to The Post

In this month of Movember and this auspicious week of Diwali, I want to share with you something that few men want to talk about, much less announce to the world.

As someone who speaks for a living, this wasn’t exactly the story I envisioned myself telling the world when I embarked on my career.

But sometimes we don’t choose our story – our story chooses us.

There is a health condition that affects nine out of ten men. And it goes largely untreated because they’re ashamed to confront it.

One out of four men under 40 may experience this condition. An estimated 300 million men globally will suffer from this condition in 2025.

So here I am, squaring up to take that first vulnerable step that hopefully helps others to also take theirs.

If someone were to ask me, "Ven, what is the accomplishment you are most proud of?"

My answer may make them jump out of their chair, "Facing up to and overcoming my erectile dysfunction."

I’ve spent 10 long years in my teenage/adult life living a double standard life; bringing joy to everyone I encountered on the outside while crumbling with despair on the inside. It took a lot of courage to recognize and admit that I had this condition. And to seek support by engaging conversations on this taboo topic with my immediate family, my closest friends and health professionals. It took a lot of mental strength at a young age to take on multiple medical treatments over a span of 2 years including a surgery and attending therapy sessions every week for 9 months to overcome this physical injury.

I feel so grateful that I now get to experience the joys of life without this dysfunction. I remember a time when I was deeply in shame and fearful for the future and thought the only path forward would be to one day leave my loved ones and live on my own, by myself, with this condition and my shame, on the other side of this planet. It's interesting what we consider as a "viable solution" in times of deep despair.

I am so thankful that never happened.

I invite you to listen to my TED talk (Search 'Ven Virah' on YouTube). I have to admit, it wasn’t my most polished talk. I was nervous and vulnerable. But I did it. Not for me. But because I didn’t want anyone else to feel the pain of spending 10 years alone in shame.

Shame is something we’ve all had to deal with. Shame may have overpowered us and many of us to the degree of losing the quality of our life. If we have the courage to talk about our shame, then more of us would have the courage to deal with it.

I hope that this, my deepest story, reaches your heart. This story is no longer exclusive. It’s inclusive. It affects multitudes of men who feel silenced and alone.

Please do share this story and let’s keep this taboo conversation going

During this celebratory period of Diwali, let's work to help light triumph over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance.