3rd Annual Northwest Melanoma Walk and Fun Run, May 31

This May, AIM at Melanoma (with help from yours truly!) will be hosting the 3rd Annual AIM for a CURE Northwest Melanoma Walk and Fun Run in Portland, Oregon. New for 2014, all net proceeds will benefit the Melanoma Research Program at Oregon Health & Science University’s Knight Cancer Institute and Department of Dermatology. Specifically, the event will raise funds for Portland's first Melanoma Tissue Bank, widely believed by the oncology community to be a key to major breakthroughs in melanoma research.

Northwest Melanoma Walk and Fun Run
Saturday, May 31, 2014 from 8:30 to 12 p.m. 

Wallace Park, NW 25th Ave. & Raleigh Street, Portland, OR 

 Register at: http://bit.ly/melanomawalk14 
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The event is free and will include a health fair, hosted by OHSU's Let's Get Healthy, where the whole family can learn about sun safety, how to detect suspicious spots on the skin, as well as how to participate in life-saving research.

Questions? Contact melanomapdx@gmail.com. Not local? Find an event in your area.

2nd Annual Portland Melanoma Walk raises over $39k

© Skipping Stone Photography

I finally got the pictures from our event and found out that our final fundraising total from the 2013 Portland Melanoma Walk was $39,492. Holy moly.

When I agreed to coordinate the walk last September, I was crossing my fingers that we'd get over $20k. My jaw was literally on the floor as we quickly surpassed the 25 mark, the 30 mark, and then the 35 mark on the day of the walk. One of the individuals who drove down to participate from Seattle brought in an astonishing $8,000!

I know this may seem like small potatoes to anyone who works in development professionally, but our event is small. It's entirely volunteer-run, with a very small budget. I'm so proud of our event, and very thankful for everyone who helped make the walk happen. There's no way I could have pulled this off on my own.

© Skipping Stone Photography

© Skipping Stone Photography

© Skipping Stone Photography

© Skipping Stone Photography

© Skipping Stone Photography

© Skipping Stone Photography

© Skipping Stone Photography

Competing with the Dalai Lama

There's no competition here.

Last October, when we were trying to pick a date for the 2013 Portland Melanoma Walk, I made sure that we weren't competing with the Heart Walk. That we weren't walking on Mother's Day, Cinco de Mayo, or Memorial Day. But let's be real. There's a real shortage of event-free Saturday mornings during Melanoma Awareness Month. I did the best I could, picked May 11, and hoped that nothing "big" would be scheduled in conflict with the event. Apparently, all was for naught, because now I'm competing with the Dalai Lama.

That's right. On Saturday, May 11, His Holiness will be hosting a summit on environmental issues at the Memorial Coliseum. At 9:30 a.m. The same time as the walk!

I have to admit, I'm a pretty big fan of the Dalai Lama. I read one of his books when I was an undergrad, and I really admire the way he's able to inspire so many people to "do good." I just had to laugh that--of all possible schedule conflicts--I am competing with the Dalai Lama.

In all seriousness though, I'm stoked for May 11. Earlier today I chatted with a reporter from The Oregonian, who posted a writeup about our event on OregonLive.com. It'll be appearing in print next Wednesday, May 8. My fingers and toes are crossed that everything will go smoothly next Saturday. Please forgive me for being MIA as I figure out all the last minute event details.

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.

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.