According to the Melanoma Research Alliance, in the U.S. someone is diagnosed with Melanoma every 8 minutes. At that rate it is obvious that no one is immune.
Some of the celebrities who’ve died include legendary Jamaican singer, songwriter and guitarist Bob Marley who passed away of melanoma on May 11, 1981, at the age of 36. According to the Melanoma Research Alliance, “A sore on Marley’s toe, initially thought to be a sports injury, was later diagnosed as metastatic melanoma.” Reporter and news anchor, Sam Donaldson is a melanoma survivor. He had a melanoma removed from a lymph node in 1995. (https://www.curemelanoma.org/about-melanoma/melanoma-stories/survivor-stories)
A young woman, pregnant with her first child was diagnosed with melanoma and had this to say about it. “Until melanoma affected me personally I had no clue. For example, had I known the true dangers, I would not have cared about having a perfect tan for prom. I would have skipped the tanning bed! Had I known melanoma was much more than “just skin cancer” I would have never left the house without sunscreen!” (https://www.curemelanoma.org/about-melanoma/melanoma-stories/survivor-stories)
Take time to educate yourself about how to prevent and detect melanoma early. These are currently the best ways of preventing the spread of melanoma.
The same young woman, featured on the Melanoma Research Alliance website states, “Education and awareness are critical for us to beat melanoma—as individuals and as a community. Continued research into better treatments, like the projects supported by the Melanoma Research Alliance, is necessary so patients diagnosed with later-stage melanoma have more options and a better chance of beating the disease.” She continues adding, “People need to hear loud and clear that melanoma is not just skin cancer—it is an aggressive, unpredictable, and dangerous cancer—and it can affect any one of us. Those of us blessed enough to survive this diagnosis must tell our stories, so that others grasp the seriousness of this disease.” (https://www.curemelanoma.org/about-melanoma/melanoma-stories/survivor-stories)
