Australians unite to walk for melanoma awareness

One Australian is diagnosed with melanoma every 30 minutes. Australians affected by skin cancer are uniting for Jay’s Mission Melanoma Walk — over 300 km from Canberra to Sydney — to promote an important message of awareness: get your skin checked and stay sun safe.

The 10-day walk is led by Jay Allen OAM — a melanoma survivor — and begins on Friday, 25 November with the aim of raising $250,000.

Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world, with approximately two in three Australians diagnosed with skin cancer during their lifetime.

Since being diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma in 2008, Allen said he’s lost many friends to melanoma. Since 2014 Allen has walked over 4100 km, fundraising for skin cancer research and education while constantly advocating for sun safety including his successful lobbying to ban commercial sun beds in Australia.

“I’m still here and have to continue to raise awareness and funds to find a cure in the memory of those lost to cancer. Jay’s Mission Melanoma Walk is all about people who have been affected by melanoma coming together in support, solidarity and positivity and raising awareness of this deadly disease and the need to be sun safe and to get regular skin checks.

“One Australian dies from melanoma every six hours so ultimately, our goal at the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation is to encourage people to donate to the walk to support education and melanoma research trials including the BETTER trial treatment program which helps to extend and improve the lives of cancer patients. This gives genuine hope to melanoma patients,” Allen said.

Image: Supplied