A community march in Woodend this month will raise awareness about melanoma and the importance of regular skin checks, while raising funds for vital research.
To support melanoma prevention and research, local skin cancer and general practitioner clinic SkinGP Woodend will host a local Melanoma March each year, with the first set for Sunday, March 30.
The Melanoma March initiative was started as a community fundraising event in 2012 by James Economides, who wanted to raise awareness and funds in honour of his son, Michael, who died from melanoma in 2008 at age 20.
It then expanded to a national campaign, now acting as Melanoma Institute Australia’s major annual fundraising campaign.
SkinGP founder and doctor Ashvin Arul said the goal of the initiative is to work towards zero deaths from melanoma, with attendees helping to ensure “everyone survives.”
“I’ve always known about it since I started being a skin cancer doctor … I’ve always been aware of [it], and having the opportunity to bring it locally gives us the opportunity to raise awareness in a local community in regional Victoria,” Mr Arul said.
“It addresses melanoma, which is the national skin cancer … we’ve got the highest rate of melanoma in the world – so if we can do anything to … prevent melanoma or detect it early, we should,” he said.
According to the Melanoma March website, each event aims to “bring together melanoma patients, their families, and local communities to raise awareness and funds for research to reach our goal of zero deaths from melanoma.”
Starting at 8am, the march will be officially opened by Health Minister and Macedon MP Mary-Anne Thomas as a guest speaker at 8.45am, where attendees will then complete a 5-kilometer walk or run through the park.
Attendees must register as an individual or team on the Melanoma March website, where a donation can be made towards research efforts.
Details: melanomamarch.org.au
