A belated cancerversary

Last week marked four years since I was diagnosed with melanoma. It seems fitting that on my four-year cancerversary I had a meeting with one of the co-founders of AIM at Melanoma and that later in the evening I had an orientation for my PCORI Pipeline award on patient-driven melanoma research. Somewhere along the way, I've transformed from scared patient to a fierce advocate for cancer prevention.

Earlier this year, during a period of self-reflection, I struggled with the fact that perhaps all my blogging and fundraising and whatnot was taking up too much of my free time. After four years, I thought, maybe it was time for me to stop obsessing over the past and to move on. But I can't. Every time I try to step back and "take a break," someone makes an ignorant comment about skin cancer, or I overhear two teenagers talking about their tan lines on the bus.

I've also recently found new ways to become involved in melanoma research. Not just as a subject in a study, but as a patient who can partner with scientists to develop better strategies for prevention and earlier detection. There's lots to learn, which can be a little intimidating, but I'm excited to see where things lead.

I'll leave you with this fabulous infographic I found on Chelsea's Pinterest today--9 Sneaky Places Skin Cancer Hides. Check it out and help spread the word!

Shop Barnes & Noble to support melanoma research, Nov. 22-24

Get started on your holiday shopping early! Now through Sunday, November 24, 2013, a percent of proceeds from your purchase at Barnes & Noble supports AIM at Melanoma's efforts to find a cure for melanoma.

Barnes & Noble Bookfair

In-Store & Online across the U.S.

November 22-24, 2013

Purchase Books, Nooks, DVDs, CDs, Toys & More

% of purchase supports AIM's efforts to find the CURE for melanoma

In-Store Shopping

Present Voucher or Provide #11197969 to Cashier

Click Here to Print Voucher

Online Shopping

Visit BN.com/Bookfair
Enter #11197969 at Checkout

Portland Melanoma Walk is two weeks away!

After months of planning, it's hard to believe that the 2013 Portland Melanoma Walk is only two weeks away! If you're a regular reader, please consider making a donation on my personal fundraising page. I hope to see some of you on May 11th!

Save the Date: Portland Melanoma Walk, May 11

I am thrilled to announce that I am coordinating the 2nd Annual Portland Melanoma Walk! In it's inaugural year, the event raised over $15,000 for AIM at Melanoma. This year, the event will be kicking off at Wallace Park in NW Portland on Saturday, May 11, 2013. We've still got quite a bit more planning to do, but mark your calendars now! Here are a few different ways you can get involved:

1. Register for the walk. It's free. Plus, you get a t-shirt.
2. Make a donation. Can't make it? Don't live in Oregon? You can still support us! I'm hoping to raise at least $1,000 on my personal fundraising page. Every little bit helps. If you're a small business owner, you can also contact me for sponsorship and in-kind donation opportunities. Tax deductions, warm fuzzy feelings, etc. :)
3. Create your own fundraising page. There will be amazing prizes for participants who help us raise money!
4. Volunteer. If you live in the Portland area, I'm looking for several day-of volunteers. Contact me if you'd like more information about volunteering.

Share this widely with friends and family! Here are a few reasons why:

• Melanoma is the most deadly type of skin cancer.
• Every eight minutes, someone in the United States will be given a melanoma diagnosis and every hour someone will die from the disease.
• Melanoma is the fastest growing cancer in the United States and worldwide.
• Melanoma is the most common form of cancer in young adults 25-29 and the second most common cancer in young adults 15-29 years old.
• If caught in the early stages, melanoma is very treatable with a survival rate of nearly 100%. If untreated or allowed to spread, there is no known treatment or cure. Unfortunately, melanoma metastasis is very unpredictable and it often spreads quickly.
• The rate of new melanoma diagnoses was 36% higher in Oregon than the national average from 2002-2006 and was the 4th highest in the U.S. An estimated 1,220 state residents were diagnosed with melanoma in 2009.

From a patient's perspective: Social media and healthcare

National Health Blog Post Month Day 15: Should healthcare companies use social media?

I'm probably a little biased on this one. I work for an academic medical center (on the research side) that uses social media pretty extensively. That said, in today's marketplace, I think it's unwise for a company--health-related or otherwise--to exclude social media from its communications portfolio. Social media provides opportunities for direct engagement with users, and if done successfully, can rev up brand loyalty.

Here's an example: I was recently looking at some jewelry online. I had a question for customer service, but it was late on a Friday afternoon and I didn't feel like waiting to get a response back via email. So I tweeted. I got an answer back an hour later. Easy peasy.

As for health-related social media, I've had consistently positive experiences with AIM at Melanoma's Facebook and Twitter accounts. Not surprisingly, I've become a donor and frequently refer others to that organization when they want to learn more about melanoma. Social media it's the sole reason why I like AIM, but it helps.

I'm not saying social media will cure cancer (or anything else worthy of a Nobel Prize), but if you look at the way patient populations are mobilizing via online discussion forums and blogs, it just makes sense. Healthcare companies should be using social media outlets to disseminate the latest research discoveries to an audience that's already hungry for more information.

What do you think?

***

This post was inspired by the Day 15 prompt for National Health Blog Post Month.
View posts by other participants.

Portland's first AIM at Melanoma 5k makes local news

May is Melanoma Awareness Month. Please help spread the word by sharing this post with your friends and family. 
 


Yes, that's yours truly, out of breath and sweaty, but still speaking out about the dangers of melanoma on Fox 12 Oregon. Thank you to everyone who sponsored me in Portland's first AIM at Melanoma 5k, including:

• Tim Slavin
• Kevin Posch
• Mark Williams
• Suzanne DeVaney-Wilkes (thanks, Mom)
• Jessica Giles
• Skin Zen Acupuncture & Esthetics
• Liz Carr
• Barbara Burbank

An extra special thank you to my wonderful friend Liz Carr who thought she was going to be walking on Saturday morning, but ended up jogging with me just because she is an amazing friend (and I am a huge pain in the ass.)

I was so impressed by the turnout and the high caliber of sponsors we had for the event. Emily Clay deserves a huge hug for organizing everyone. She and several others organized this walk in remembrance of their good friend Sarah Bach who lost her battle to melanoma at age 42 in 2011. It was incredibly difficult for me to hear the stories from people who have lost loved ones to this disease, but also comforting to know that we're all in this together.

Looking forward making things even bigger and better next year.

Free skin cancer screenings at Portland Melanoma Walk, May 12

May is Melanoma Awareness Month. Please help spread the word by sharing this post with your friends and family.

If you live in the Portland area and haven't yet signed up for the AIM at Melanoma 5k on Saturday, May 12, the walk's organizers have recently added free skin cancer screenings by the Portland Dermatology Clinic to the event. Save yourself a trip to the dermatologist, then stay and walk for a good cause.

A few reasons why you need a skin check:

• Melanoma is the most common form of cancer for young adults 25-29 years old and the second most common form of cancer for young people 15-29.
• The survival rate for patients whose melanoma is detected early is about 99 percent. The survival rate falls to 15 percent for those with advanced disease.
• The number of women under age 40 diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma has more than doubled in the last 30 years; the incidence of squamous cell carcinoma among women under age 40 has increased almost 700 percent.
• If you've used a tanning bed, you're 74 percent more likely to develop melanoma than those who haven't.

For more information, visit the AIM at Melanoma Portland website. Can't make it? Consider sponsoring me for the walk.

Portland's first AIM at Melanoma walk, May 12

As many of you know, I had surgery to remove an early-stage melanoma in 2010. Since then, I've become an advocate for skin cancer prevention and early detection. I've made quite a few friends along the way--many of whom have participated in melanoma walks and other large fundraisers all over the country. The whole time, I've thought to myself, Wouldn't it be cool if there was a melanoma walk in Portland, Oregon? Well, guess what? This year, there is! It's happening Saturday, May 12, 2012.

Needless to say, I'm thrilled that little 'ole Portland is getting its own melanoma walk, so I've been emailing with walk's organizer. Since it's the first year, there's still a lot of work that needs to be done. If you live in Oregon or Southwest Washington, please join us on May 12 and share the event with your friends and family (the U of O duck will be there, so bring the kids, too!) Unlike other 5k races I've been doing lately, there's no fee to sign up, although you're more than welcome to make a donation. Not local? Consider sponsoring me! Even $10--the cost of one session in a tanning bed--would do wonders.