Team Melanoma

I discovered a great way for people to help fight cancer thanks to Amber Wadey of Southern California. The American Cancer Society holds a team event it calls "Relay for Life" around the country (and soon the world) where each team tries to keep at least one member on the track for as long as 24 hours in order to raise money and raise cancer awareness. There are about 14 of these events in my area this summer, so if you're interested in participating, there is likely to be at least one in yours. You can look them up here. You can help out by donating your money or your time. And there's still time to help out Amber's "Team Melanoma". Their relay is on July 23rd and 24th. Amber's husband, Chuck, was diagnosed with melanoma a couple years ago and after numerous surgeries and chemotheraphy, he has since recovered but still deals with the effects of it every day. Both Amber and Chuck are in "Team Melanoma" along with Chuck's 24-year-old co-worker, John Hall, who was diagnosed with Stage 4 Melanoma shortly after Chuck. He recently had brain surgery and is fighting every day for remission. I encourage you to read John's story and to donate if you are willing.

>>UPDATE 9/24/05: John Hall died on September 17th, 2005

Excerpt from their team page:

2 years ago, at the age of 26, Chuck Wadey was diagnosed with Stage III Malignant Melanoma. He endured multiple surgeries and 3 months of intense bio-chemotherapy. He has since made a "full recovery," but still deals with issues related to his cancer battle every day.

Only a few months later, another young Treyarch employee, John Hall, was diagnosed with Stage IV Malignant Melanoma. His had spread to his liver, lungs, and even his brain. John is still undergoing treatments today, and is hoping for full remission.

Team Melanoma is dedicated to raising awareness so that this does not happen again. Our goal is to raise money which will go directly to research for Malignant Melanoma treatments and the search for a CURE.

Excerpt from John Hall's blog:

A couple of years ago an unusual mole started to form on my left shoulder. I was mildly concerned, but didn't think enough of it to go see a doctor. It continued to grow, eventually stabilizing about a centimeter in diameter, occasionally bleeding slightly. I knew I probably should do something about it, but I didn't think it could possibly be anything bad (who, me, get skin cancer? never!), and feared getting bad news from the doctor, so I never went in.

Bad idea.