The cure for melanoma begins with me.

Melanoma is the deadliest and fastest growing form of skin cancer and we all want a cure to be found soon. Miles for Melanoma is the way people come together to take action and help support 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. My father is alive because of these advancements.  This is my story and why I walk.

When I was 2 years old, my father was diagnosed with melanoma.  I went with him to all of his appointments and held his finger in my hand while the dr. examined his surgery site.  When he had an allergic reaction to the stitches, my mother had to clean and pack his deep wound while I held his hand.  As his wound healed, we began doing lots of family things – boating, hiking, camping, driving to the Pacific Ocean, flying to the Atlantic Ocean, visiting national monuments and parks – all kinds of fun adventures.  But, when I was 6, his melanoma had metastasized and he needed emergency brain surgery to remove a golf ball sized tumor.  I packed my backpack with lots of plushies and me and my mother flew to meet him in Denver.  My mother camped out at the hospital for a week while I was at my aunt’s, then my parents moved to my aunt’s guest house for 2 months so my father could be close to treatment.  We were able to go back home and have new adventures.  He taught me how to fish, drive a tractor and a motorcycle; we rode snowmobiles and we took a month long road trip between his chemo treatments.  Four years ago, we had to move closer to his medical team and he had to stop his cancer treatment.  His melanoma is stable and we continue to have all sorts of adventures from visiting the Ferrari Museums in Italy to exploring in Germany to soaking in a hidden hot spring in Costa Rica.  My father has seen me change from a toddler to a teenager, advance towards my Black Belt in Taekwondo and begin learning to be a musician.  My father’s melanoma diagnosis has changed our lives but research and treatments have given us the opportunity to continue having adventures.  I don’t remember a time when my dad didn’t have cancer because it was so long ago but I will always remember that melanoma never stopped us from creating memories.