Melanoma Awareness Month: Progress is Power

From the desk of MRF CEO Kyleigh LiPira:

Today is May 31 and that means another Melanoma Awareness Month is in the books! The past four weeks featured incredible opportunities to celebrate the courageous members of our community, highlight stories from patients and caregivers, gather with our friends at events across the country, increase awareness of rare melanoma subtypes and offer new educational resources.

Beginning on Melanoma Monday, we revealed our newest #GetNaked spokespeople: Monique Mack, a melanoma survivor and advocate featured in Neutrogena's "In the Sun" documentary; and Summer Sanders, Olympic Gold Medalist, American sports commentator, reporter, television personality, actress and cutaneous melanoma survivor. Later that week, R&B duo, Neutrogena Ambassadors and melanoma advocates Chloe x Halle shared a special Melanoma Awareness Month greeting on TikTok to increase awareness of melanoma prevention and the #GetNaked campaign.

Throughout May, educational and patient support opportunities included a new Ask the Expert webinar sponsored by Castle Biosciences, three "Dermfluencer" broadcasts on Instagram Live, five patient symposia held across the country offering both in-person and virtual participation, a Virtual Ocular Melanoma Support Alliance meeting held in partnership with Colorado Retina Associates, and an Adolescent & Young Adult (AYA) Virtual Meetup hosted with Stupid Cancer.

We were honored to share seven guest blogs from melanoma patients and survivors in the MRF Newsroom, and met hundreds more at Miles for Melanoma run/walks in Washington, DC and Boston.

As a Core Member of the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention, the MRF celebrated Friday, May 27 as "Don't Fry Day," an important reminder about sun safety during the holiday weekend marking the official start of the sunny summer season.

Thank you to everyone who made this our best Melanoma Awareness Month in memory! Visit our Melanoma Awareness Month webpage to learn more about this month's events and our incredibly generous Melanoma Awareness Month Corporate Sponsors and Cause Marketing Partners who made it possible.

With gratitude,

Miles for Melanoma in June

Following two great events on the East Coast in May, the Miles for Melanoma season is headed west! First up, we'll be walking in Memphis on Saturday, June 4, followed by a mile-high meetup with our friends in Denver on Saturday, June 11. Both events are more than halfway to their fundraising goal, putting these two great communities on track to raise a total of $100,000 in the month of June alone! Register today to help us cross the finish line, and visit the Miles for Melanoma webpage to see the entire 2022 calendar of events and find a run/walk near you!

Attend the Pediatric Melanoma Summit

Join pediatric melanoma patients, survivors, siblings and families from across the country at the Pediatric Melanoma Summit in Phoenix, AZ on July 22-24 at Great Wolf Lodge! Leading physicians and researchers will share the latest developments in pediatric melanoma research and treatment, the MRF and our partners will provide education and support resources, and there will be plenty of time to enjoy the giant indoor water park! Click here to learn more about the event including how to register and make a hotel reservation in the MRF room block. For any additional questions about the summit or the MRF's pediatric melanoma program, please email education@melanoma.org. We look forward to seeing you in Phoenix!

Meet the MRF at ASCO

On June 3-7, 2022, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) will hold its annual meeting in Chicago, and the MRF will be there! The ASCO Annual Meeting brings together more than 30,000 oncologists, researchers and cancer experts from around the world to share the latest updates on research and treatment development, and the MRF is proud to be a voice for the melanoma community at the event. This year's meeting is a hybrid event, and free virtual participation for patient advocates is available. If you will be attending ASCO in person, make sure to stop by Booth #5027 to meet the MRF team!