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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.