Cancer sucks. All of us have been affected by cancer. Whether you are a survivor, or you have lost someone close to you, the bottom line- we need to continue supporting foundations that are working towards finding a cure.

The backstory. In January 2019 we lost Robert J. Wychulis to Melanoma- from an UNKNOWN source. It seemed so unfair! He was extremely healthy, very athletic, always active, loved playing sports, was an outdoorsman and an avid fisherman. He was compliant with routine appointments, preventative screenings and tests, went to the doctor for physicals... it was a shock. He was diagnosed (stage IV) in April 2018 and gone in January 2019. Our world was crushed.

The birth of “the bobber’s”. After my dad passed, I had to do something. I can’t let this be all for nothing. I immediately looked into something I could do, not just to honor and remember him, but to help others. In February 2019 I found the Melanoma Research Foundation online. I saw they hold Miles for Melanoma, a 5K run/walk, all around the country, just for this cause! My dad was an avid jogger, worked in DC and served in the Navy! That was it! I started putting together the team. Bob’s Bobbers was formed! It supports those battling melanoma and, remember Robert J. Wychulis (aka “jojgee”). A day to celebrate him and help others fight!

Salt on the wound. A month after forming the team, in March 2019, my husband, Steve Vallance, was diagnosed with stage II Melanoma! Are you kidding me?! But, because of early detection, two surgeries and regular screenings (and lots of sunblock), he has been cancer free!  

8 years later. Since 2019, Bob’s Bobbers has participated in the MRFs Miles for Melanoma 5K, in Washington, DC, every year. We have raised over $30K and will continue to do so! With numerous fundraisers and runs in the Washington, DC area, Miles for Melanoma is by far one of the best events!

A little background on Bob. If you were with him, you were probably laughing. He had an incredible sense of humor coupled with an uncanny wit. He never took things too seriously and thoroughly enjoyed life. He had a passion for the outdoors and loved being on the water and fishing. He spent many years boating with his family and fishing on the Chesapeake Bay and made annual fishing trips to Canada for 30 years with his son. Bob was an amazing, an all-around athlete and played basketball in high school, football in college, and spent a lifetime golfing, running, skiing, and playing cards with his family. He loved drinking a martini and cooking dinner. He was an avid Philadelphia Eagles fan and was the founding father of the family’s “Eagles Fan Club”.

Bob was born in the small coal mining town of Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. After attending Kings College, in Wilkes-Barre, PA, and serving in the U.S. Navy, he relocated to the Washington, DC area to raise his family. He worked as an Investigator for the U.S. General Accountability Office and retired in 1995 and moved back to Pennsylvania in 2004.