Please Support Tonya Fleetwood's Fundraising Efforts for the Melanoma Research Foundation!
The cure for melanoma begins with me.
On Saturday, September 14, 2024 I am proudly participating in the Melanoma Research Foundation's Miles For Melanoma 5K in NYC. Melanoma is the deadliest and fastest growing form of skin cancer, and it has affected my life immeasurably.
My mom, Connie Fleetwood, passed away a few years ago after a determined, 23-year-long battle with this incurable disease. The MRF's mission is to continue to fight for a cure, and I would be forever grateful if you'd support my fundraising efforts with a donation.
I'd love to tell you a little bit about my mother and her journey. My mom was my best friend, my role model, and simply the most positive, selfless, and brave human I'll ever know. Her joy and zest was contagious.
She was just 29 years old when a mole on the upper part of her right arm was revealed as skin cancer in 1992. I was 10 years old, and from that moment on, melanoma became a constant and forever part of our lives.
At the time no treatment was recommended. The tumor was surgically removed, and we moved forward. A few years later, a random mole on her foot was bothering her, so she had it removed; truly having no concerns that it was serious. It came back as skin cancer. I pushed and pushed and pushed her at this point to get more tests and find the right doctors. In our very rural, itsy bitsy town of Gravity, Iowa, oncology care is not abundant.
After my continued persistence, Mom finally went through a series of tests and scans in 2006. Metastatic malignant melanoma was found in her right axilla and throughout her lymph nodes. She started various forms of chemotherapy and radiation that would continue until the end. Every 1-2 years a new tumor would be discovered in a new location. All of these spots -- colon, lung, and knee -- were operable and surgically removed.
Then a tumor was discovered in her heart and ultimately deemed inoperable.
I managed to get her an appointment with one of the top melanoma physicians at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in NYC. Thankfully she was able to begin care under this physician with a newer form of chemotherapy, which made every extra day a gift.
My mother died on October 24, 2015 at the age of 53. She was blessed with 23 years following the initial diagnosis, which many melanoma patients do not get. I will always believe that her endless zeal and determination are the reasons. She is my forever hero; my guiding light; my angel.
I walk for my mother - Connie Fleetwood.
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Miles for Melanoma is the way people come together to take action and help support this fight and the mission of the Melanoma Research Foundation.
Every step matters and every step counts. Significant advancement has been made in the past few years in improved detection, new drug treatments and better survival rates. This progress has been built on the breakthroughs made fighting other types of cancers, as well as the existing foundation of melanoma research.
There is more to be done and a long way to go, but the finish line is in sight. The energy, enthusiasm and encouragement from patients, survivors, families, friends, caregivers, and the medical community impacts many lives and many futures.
Step up and donate to Miles for Melanoma today.
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