Hillary Quinn Kind - A Simple Gift

I was going to write a few thoughts about melanoma and politics, but the news of Hillary Quinn Kind’s passing has really affected me.  There’s no way I can write about anything else.

For those of you who may not know, Hillary Quinn Kind was the melanoma warrior featured in the Stand Up 2 Cancer special that was broadcast not long ago.  On the night it aired, I took my kids to their grandparents’ house for a sleep over.  Even though I was recording the show on my DVD as I drove, I was a little disappointed at not watching it live.  When we arrived at my in-laws, the TV was on.  I (rudely) asked if I could just switch the channel briefly and check into the broadcast.  As I did, the melanoma segment started.

If you didn’t catch it before, here’s Hillary’s story.

 

I was struck by this girl’s beauty, strength and courage in the face of obvious adversity.  The discussion she had with her doctor was real and heart breaking.  It was courageous to hear her say “maybe if it’s not me surviving, maybe they will find a cure and I will have helped them.”  But what touched me emotionally the most was to watch her sky-dive (thus knocking off an item off her bucket list) to the haunting tune of “Simple Gifts.”  (The tune has a special place in my heart already).  I still barely hold back the tears when I watch it.

The fight against melanoma…the “just cut it out skin cancer”…had a face for the world to see.  It had a representative story.  And in the middle of my in-laws’ family room, I could hear the entire melanoma community cheering.

Like so many others, I “friended” Hillary on Facebook…and she was kind enough to accept.  We never corresponded, but I watched her posted life as she continued to fight.  She never really discussed her illness as I recall, so it came as an absolute shock when I read that she passed away last night.

My first thought…dammit.  My second thought…was a smile.  Strange, I know.  It was partly due to knowing she was no longer in pain, and partly knowing that we have another strong-willed angel looking over us.  I hope that other people, besides the melanoma community recall her touching story from the broadcast…and I hope they get word of Hillary’s passing so that they can get the full emotional message of melanoma’s wrath.

‘Tis the gift to be simple, ‘tis the gift to be free

‘Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be.

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

Rest in Peace Hillary Quinn Kind.

Photos from the Amanda-Corey Memorial Walk

In a departure from my usual blogging style, I thought I'd just share some photos of yesterday's Amanda-Corey Memorial Walk for MRF.

 

Yep, this is the place!

 

The coffee table was VERY popular on this chilly morning!

 

 

Registration table was a busy place. 

 

The Raffle, Silent Auction, and Live Auction were popular and a big hit

 

Best t-shirt of the day!  Pretty in Pink, but Better in Black!

 

 

Facepainting!

 

 

Plenty of awareness reminders around

 

GamePatrol donated their services for audio and video (and a cool peak into their gaming trailer)

 

 

Chap (Corey's Dad) addresses the crowd before the walk (he has a natural "anouncer's voice)

 

 

Don (Amanda's Dad) addresses the crowd and shares his stories.

 

 

A good crowd of well over 100 listens and awaits the walk

 

 

And off we go!

 

 

Apex, NC...a great place for such a walk

 

 

The walk crowd extends a couple of blocks

 

 

A couple of the walkers (one dressed for Halloween)

 

 

Back at the church, the "Touched by Melanoma" gift basket is the last item to raffle

 

 

Barb wins the basket!  (and the decorated shoes are just her size!)

 

Humbled by Melanoma Nation

It is truly humbling how the melanoma community comes together.

Earlier today, I was mentally composing my thoughts about how two events of the last week brought together the melanoma community in different ways.  And now, within the last few minutes, a third amazing demonstration of the love of melanoma nation has taken place.  But let me talk about the first two first.

About a month ago, I asked folks if they’d be willing to donate to a raffle/auction to be held at the upcoming MRF walk in Apex, NC.  Honestly, I figured I might receive a couple items in addition to my BITNP shirt and coffee mug that might fit nicely in a little basket.  What I’ve received is a kitchen table full of boxes of items received from across the country and Canada!  Scarves, calendars, bracelets, stationery, a CD…all sent from people touched in different ways by melanoma.  In fact, far too many items to fit in one basket, so I’ll work with the event organizers to best utilize the items for maximum fund-raising.  Thanks to every person!  The response was truly touching.

The second gathering of melanoma nation took place as our own Chelsea Price walked the red carpet and spoke at the Skin Cancer Foundation’s big gala in NYC last night.  (I almost titled this blog, “Another Blog About Chelsea’s Big Night…J ).  I personally ate dinner with my eyes glued to my tablet as I waited for updated photos from the Skin Cancer Foundation’s (SCF) website and tweets.  The funniest moment was when they posted Brooke Shields’ photo on the red carpet, and the Rev. Carol chimed in, “That’s nice, but show us a photo of Chelsea Price!”  The SCF obliged moments later with a stunningly beautiful photo of Miss Price. 

 

 

 

I have a feeling others felt the same pride as I…and also noticed that her expression seemed to say, “WOW!” and “WTF is happening?” at the same time.  What an amazing night for Chelsea…and what an amazing night for us all.  If nothing else, SCF felt the presence and importance of the online community.

Thirdly, as I logged on tonight, I received a private message to my BITNP page.  It was from a gentleman named Justin Eakes that read as follows:

Hello, I know this is last minute but I am having a memorial service Sat. 13^th, for my wife who just lost a 2 ½ year battle with melanoma Oct. 4^th.  I was wondering if you knew of a place that I could either overnight or buy in Kansas City, small black ribbons that we could hand out to everyone who is coming to the service.  If you know of anything like that or similar, that would be great.  If not that is ok too.

Thanks for any help, and sorry for being last minute the thought just came to us today.

Justin Eakes.

 

Within 15 minutes, over 20 people responded with prayers, thoughts, and even offers to make him ribbons and overnight them!  I sit here in amazement to the magic this group can perform.

We all told Chelsea how proud we were of her…and I’m here to say that I am SO proud of each and every person in melanoma nation.  Melanoma doesn’t stand a chance against a love-force such as ours.

A Plea for Help to the Breast Cancer Community

Black and Pink...Fighting Cancer Together!

Dear Breast Cancer Awareness Supporters….

We in the Melanoma Awareness Community need your help.  You may have heard that some of us have “Pink Envy.”  In reality, I believe we have Pink Inspiration (read this post to see what I mean).  In truth, we’re as interested in the awareness of ALL cancers as much as you are.  But as it turns out, those that wear the Pink seem to get more press and attention…and that’s why we need your help.

A friend of mine attended a fund-raising 5K run last month in honor of Breast Cancer Research and Awareness.  One of the door prizes was a free month of appointments at a local tanning salon.  More recently, tanning salons have been offering discounted tanning sessions for every person that wears pink for Breast Cancer Awareness.  A pink ribbon was even spotted on a bottle of tanning lotion.

In case you didn’t know, tanning is a direct contributor to melanoma…the deadliest form of skin cancer.  It’s the second leading cancer of women under 39, behind breast cancer.  It’s the MOST COMMON form of cancer in young adults age 25 to 29.  Some (much) of this is attributed to UV ray exposure…the same UV rays in tanning booths and the sun.

Everything is covered in pink in October.  It’s a sign of your incredible awareness campaign.  We are envious, but we are inspired.  However, the placement of pink ribbons upon tanning products is a step too far.  This would be the same as placing your pink endorsement upon cigarettes.  Tanning booths and cigarettes are both recognized carcinogens…cancer-causing agents. 

I know that you, the typical member of the breast cancer community would not endorse the placement of pink ribbons on anything associated with cancer.  So I ask you to speak out.  Contact your local organization and encourage them to withdraw any support to the placement of pink ribbons on anything tanning related.  Tell those that display your ribbon as a means to promote their tanning business that you’re offended.

We all stand up together in the fight against cancer.  All cancer.  Please help us in the fight against melanoma by withdrawing any association with skin cancer-causing activities.

Thank you…

Three Billion Reasons to Be Excited!

One of my favorite things to do is have some coffee on a Sunday morning and watch the CBS Sunday Morning show.  Nearly every story is a feel-good piece and any others are fact-based with limited negative vibe.  It’s just a good news way to start the day.  Anyhow, there was a brief piece this morning about how much money is being spent on the current presidential political campaigns.  Since we see an ad during nearly every commercial break, it should come as no surprise that the amount spent is in the hundreds of millions of dollars.  That’s a lot of money!

Then it occurred to me.  MD Anderson Cancer Center is getting ready to spend three BILLION dollars to take aim at cancer.  That’s billion…with a “B.”  Now THAT’s a lot of money!  They could pay for several presidential campaigns!  Thank God they’re spending it against cancer!

As most of you know by now, MD Anderson has launched their Moon Shots program which targets several cancers for annihilation…including melanoma!  The goals against melanoma include those involved in research, clinical trials, and prevention.  Since my personal mission is to spread melanoma awareness, their latter goal has me very excited.  MD Anderson’s website says this regarding their goals toward prevention:

There is strong evidence that exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) plays an important causal role in melanoma. Despite the declaration of UVR as a carcinogen by the World Health Organization in 2009, public health surveys have reported increasing prevalence of both sun exposure and tanning bed use among adults in the U.S., and few, if any, comprehensive preventative programs targeting children exist. Further, although recent experiences in other countries demonstrate that improved sun-safety practices and skin screening can reduce both melanoma morbidity and mortality, few, if any, comprehensive screening efforts exist in the U.S.

The melanoma moon shot effort in prevention includes plans to:

·         Expand evidence-based, age-appropriate melanoma prevention approaches throughout schools

·         Access multiple forms of media and community-based interventions to discourage or eliminate tanning behavior, increase sun protection and encourage participation in skin screening efforts

This is such exciting news.  Not only are the medical gurus of MD Anderson going to concentrate on eradicating and curing this disease, their PR folks are going to concentrate on educating this country and increasing awareness!

I join many fellow bloggers and sun-safe advocates in applauding the MD Anderson Cancer Center and offering help in any way I can.

Thank you!

Good Luck Susan!

I wore my BITNP shirt for her last day!

For the last year and a half, I’ve made it a personal mission to spread the word about melanoma awareness.  So have many, many others.  There is no better support group for encouragement than those folks I’ve encountered online.  We have all read, applauded, and commented on one another’s thoughts and helped to spread them to other readers.

Unfortunately, I don’t have as many folks in my life that offer face-to-face encouragement.  My family is, of course very supportive as I spend many nights seeking new information about melanoma or writing my latest thoughts.  But for the most part, other people are only somewhat aware that I have “that thing about skin cancer” and little else.

Most of the people I encounter outside of family are at work.  I enjoy the day-to-day interaction with nearly all of my colleagues and some would be considered friends.  However, recent changes have us all pretty busy and somewhat out of touch with others’ lives.  Frankly, one of my biggest flaws is to stay isolated and not discovering the personal lives of my co-workers as I should.  It’s no wonder that most are unaware of my campaign.

Then there’s Susan.  I’m not even sure how I first shared my mission with her, but she has taken a large interest in this blog and my overall mission.  She would comment on my latest post the very next day at work.  She would compliment my homemade t-shirts.  And she would constantly remind me that I’m “making a difference.”  Best of all, she started seeing a dermatologist regularly because of what I’ve shared.

There have been times that I’m just dead beat.  Either work or family life had me frazzled and I’d feel guilty for having not blogged or put forth the efforts to my mission.  But eventually, Susan would remind me or encourage me.  Frankly, without her, BITNP might have faded away several months ago.  But it didn’t, and I plan to stick with it for many months and years to come.

Friday was the last day of work for Susan at my workplace.  She has taken a job closer to her home and her aging mother.  She’s always been one to keep life’s important priorities in mind.  Monday will be the first day in a year and a half where I won’t see Susan sitting across from me and commenting on my latest blog.  But while she’ll be missed, rest assured her encouragement will continue.  She reads the blog and she follows on Facebook.  And she’s a constant opponent on Words with Friends (I promise you’ll win one Susan…eventually …J )

There are a few other equally supportive folks at work and elsewhere which I’ll mention one day, but I wanted to send a special thanks to Susan as she ventures onward.  Best of luck along your next path. 

And Susan, wear your sunscreen!

Amanda and Corey Memorial Walk, 2012

A few weeks ago, I received a request on my Facebook timeline to inform others of a memorial walk benefitting the Melanoma Research Foundation.  A couple of days later, I received another request for the same walk.  What Judy and Kim didn’t realize was that this walk is to be held in the very town in which I live!  How could I not offer to be somehow involved?

The Amanda Wall-Corey Haddon Memorial Walk is in honor of two beautiful young women who sadly succumbed to Melanoma.  In short, each young woman was diagnosed with melanoma too early in life (then again, ANY time is too early…isn’t it?).   They each embraced life and fought off the beast as best they could, but ultimately donned their wings to direct the battle from above.  That’s where the real miracle of this event begins.  You see, while both attended East Carolina University, and both may have passed one another in the halls of the Duke University Hospital, they never met here on earth.  Both their parents did, at a Compassionate Friends meeting in September of 2010 where each sought answers and solace with others who experienced the same type of loss.

An immediate bond formed between the two couples and the Memorial Walk started to take shape.  In fact, the first such walk took place about a year later.  The walk was to benefit the Melanoma Research Foundation, but because of the apparent small nature of the event, many didn’t have hope that much money would be raised.  Amanda and Corey’s parents did.  While the MRF established a goal of $10,000, the first annual walk raised a whopping $28,000!

This year’s walk is scheduled in Apex, NC on October 13, 2012.  After I announced my close proximity to Kim and Judy, they invited me to a planning meeting this past week.  As I’ve stated here before, I’m pretty shy away from the keyboard, but I made time to attend and meet these amazing people.  Both Amanda’s parents and Corey’s parents were there, as were a few more friends and family.

I won’t get into all the details, but I can say that what I witnessed wasn’t a stern meeting to discuss logistics and financials.  Those items were discussed, but the atmosphere was that of a gathering of friends and family.  There was laughter…lots of laughter…and genuine compassion for the cause.  Many times, a discussion was interrupted as someone would convey a story of how others were touched or affected by Amanda or Corey’s story.  I’ve never met these folks before, but even I sensed that the two honored girls were sitting at the same table, eating Subway sandwiches and sharing the same laughter.  This wasn’t a committee…this was a family.  Such a family passionate that one member gave me one of the biggest bear hugs I’ve ever had!

But business did get done.  The course and logistics were discussed as were the raffle prizes.  It was announced that the numbers of registrants was low at this time, but this was not unlike a year ago when the majority of walkers signed up in the last week.  Amanda’s father was optimistic, but commented that while they’d love to exceed last year’s number of walkers and donations they’d be happy as long as one person became more aware.  And I believed him.  More than once, he stated a fact about melanoma and he’d follow up with “and people still don’t get it.”

He’s right.  But these people do.

So what’s my involvement?  Right now, it’s to tell you about it…and ask that you spread the word.  Yes, many of us are gung ho on attending the AIM Walk in Charlotte in November, and that hasn’t changed for me.  But I’d like to ask that you spread the word of this event as well. 

I believe they’ll be having an online auction as well as the aforementioned raffle during the event, so you can most definitely help there!  I would love it if some folks in the melanoma community could donate an item to raffle.  I’ll be pitching in a BITNP T-shirt and coffee mug, and I’d love to make an entire “Molemate” gift pack to raffle or auction.  If you have a talent…or a product you’d care to donate, please contact me at my email address at fightmelanoma@live.com.  Or go to the contact page on the Amanda-Corey website and offer up your ideas there.  Every bit of money received through this will go to the Amanda and Corey fund which benefits MRF.

Please help support this cause…and continue the fight against melanoma everywhere!