Mission Statement
Fighting melanoma by increasing awareness, supporting patients, survivors, families and fundraising for research. EARLY DETECTION IS THE KEY TO SURVIVAL! Mission Miles’ Message and Vision is as follows:
To increase awareness of malignant melanoma and skin cancer through education, advocacy and research.
To advocate for detection and to obtain skin examinations. We help people find dermatologists in their area as well.
To ease the burden and to provide support for melanoma patients, caregivers and medical professionals through financial aid.
To create a national association to aid in providing support to those with melanoma.
To ultimately find a cure for melanoma.
According to our Founder Amalyn Martin, Miles Against Melanoma’s goal since 2010 is to spread to every city in the United States to change the mindset of Americans and bring about community awareness in every state. Thanks to Ms. Martin, Miles Against Melanoma is in over 15 cities. To Amalyn, melanoma is a seemingly underrated and underexposed disease that needs more awareness.
I could not be more aligned with this mission! If you are interested in having an event in your city, please let her know at milesagainstmelanoma@yahoo.com.
Description
Welcome to the San Diego Chapter of Miles Against Melanoma.
I'm very blessed and excited to partner with MAM and this new venture already seems to be taking on a life on it's own! I have a deep passion to spread awareness about melanoma and raise the much-needed funds for research and education. I'm doing this in honor of my daughter Michele Vasquez who is fighting with stage 3b, and my dad, Ar ... nold "Zim" Zimmermann who's fighting with stage 4. Both were diagnosed in March of 2012. When I first found out about melanoma, it was hard for me to find resourses and information to help the ones I love. When I was made aware there was no one advocating for CA, or on the the entire West Coast for the Miles Against Melanoma it made my heart ache! On this journey my life has been beyond blessed in so many ways. I've met some amazing people in the last year! I could not be more proud to join this great organization with their heart at the core of everything they do, a cause that means so much to me personally. Not only do I have two close family members fighting, Nancy my friend since grade school lost her beautiful daughter "Katie" at 27 yrs old only 6 months ago, my new friend Kim's Nassi's mom Lynette is fighting stage 4, one my moms best friends Beverly was just diagnosed too, she's beginning her journey. Since connecting with the melanoma world and so many other warriors, I've become close to so many people on-line from all over the world and I love them dearly! I am shocked at the lack of awareness and that people just think skin cancer is something you cut out and then you're done with it. That could not be further from the truth! Once diagnosed with metastatic melanoma your life will never be the same. You will live from test to test with the fear of it spreading to other organs. As the caretaker like me, you don't want to see your loved ones going through this either. It's ugly and you are at the mercy of drug trials and the uncertainty of what's next. I've learned California has ownership of 5 of the cities listed on a list of the ten worst places in the US for melanoma deaths. That's right, the highest death rate per capita from melanoma! WHAT?? This is horrible and why do more of us not know about it?? We need a cure!! I knew right away I was supposed to step up and get loud about this. If we can help just one person understand how damaging the sun and UV lights are, we've made a huge difference. But my hopes are so much bigger than that. We want to target schools, kids' sports teams, sports fans, medical offices, young adults who are addicted to tanning, new parents, and even nail salons that use uv lights on gel manicures. We want to shut down the tanning salons that use uv lights. Everyone really needs to know that more people die from melanoma than the top 5 cancers combined. One person dies every hour of melanoma! We all may not get melanoma but all of us are at risk of getting it. We want to remind you that we don't have to be tan to be beautiful. We advocate teaching safe tanning methods and the use of all natural spray tanning products, if you must tan, so it doesn't kill you. Trust me, a tan is not worth dying for! The way we can make a difference is by teaching awareness early in life, and setting up daily habits to protect the skin, preventing DNA damage from occuring at all! By getting regular checks of your moles, and checking your skin every month you can save your life. Regular exercising, eating the right foods and taking the right vitamin supplements can be like "edible sunscreen." We want you to get educated. There are many things we can do to prevent melanoma, but once it's grown too deep into the skin or into the bloodstream, you will be fighting for your life for the rest of your life in many cases.
You can fulfill our greatest wish if you help us spread the word about the dangers and consequences of tanning and getting sunburned even one time. I want my dad and daughter to know that No One Fights Alone and that I will fight this fight with them, now and always. This is something I will do for the rest of my life for all of us.
I am so thankful for the people who have approached me to help, but I need more help, I really do. This is much bigger than any of us. We all have gifts and talents that can compliment each other! There is a job for all of us to do!! Come on California let's be one big team of melanoma advocates!!
If you would like to volunteer, be a sponsor, host an event, suggest an idea, donate products and/or services to be auctioned off, or give a monetary donation, it all is very much needed and appreciated!
Thank you!
Fonda Upp
Http://www.milesagainstmelanoma5k.com/ provides information on the foundation and nationwide events taking place.
