Ryan Fischer
Professor Braverman
WGS
Pop Culture
25 April 2016
Ready,
Set, Go Viral!
Dermatologists
believe the number of deaths from melanoma would be much lower if people knew
the warning signs of melanoma, learned how to examine their skin for signs of
skin cancer, and took the time to examine their skin (American Academy of Dermatology). This was our motivation behind
#KforMelanoma. Inspired by our head coach, we set out to increase the awareness
of Melanoma through our baseball team and our baseball games at TCNJ. Coach
Glus was diagnosed with melanoma, however, he was able to identify it early and
seek the proper treatment for it. Now as a cancer survivor, he advocates for
melanoma awareness and has supported us throughout our journey to increase melanoma
awareness in those who follow TCNJ baseball.
To
raise awareness, our group created the #KforMelanoma trend on social media. We
initially wanted to have fans of the baseball team sponsor our starting
pitchers and donate a dollar to melanoma research for every strikeout the
pitcher accrued over the season. However, we were unable to obtain Dr.
Beverly’s approval because she stepped down after we presented our idea. Dr.
Beverly stepping down slowed our project down quite a bit because we were stuck
on how we would be able to raise money for melanoma research. Our initial goal
was to obtain 15 to 20 sponsors for our starting pitchers who were willing to
donate to melanoma research for each strikeout. While we were not able to
achieve our target number of sponsors, we were able to attract a few sponsors
who are willing to donate at the end of our season for the strikeout total. In
addition to receiving five parent sponsors, we set out to spread the hashtag of
#KforMelanoma to raise awareness of the deadly skin cancer, and encouragingly
received six replay hashtags.
Overall, although we did not achieve our target number of
sponsors, we accomplished our goal of raising melanoma awareness. People of all
ages are at risk for melanoma. Things that put people at risk for melanoma are
ultraviolet light exposure, moles, fair skin, freckling, light hair, family
history of melanoma, older age, and being a male (American Cancer Society). Melanoma can be prevented by simply
avoiding excessive ultraviolet light exposure and applying sunscreen before
going outside. If left untreated, melanoma can be a deadly form of skin cancer
and extremely dangerous among those who have it.
I think we were successful with our trendsetting project.
While we may not have achieved the widespread success some other groups may
have had, but we were able to accomplish our goal of raising awareness of
melanoma. Not many people understand what melanoma is and how easily at risk
they are. By advocating for melanoma awareness and raising money to support
melanoma research, our group has set out to change the way people view their
risk of getting melanoma. People who follow TCNJ baseball or who have been to
our games understand the severity of melanoma, and can therefore pass on the
knowledge to their friends and family. Our project was only the start of a
movement that is much bigger than TCNJ baseball. With our coach’s experience as
a cancer survivor, we have left a significant mark on our families and
followers of TCNJ to reach out and expand this movement of melanoma awareness.
Hopefully through #KforMelanoma we have increased awareness of melanoma on a
broader scale, which could lead to the reduction of melanoma related deaths in
the future.
Works
Cited
“Melanoma.”
American Academy of Dermatology.
American Academy of Dermatology. Web. 24 April 2016. <https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/skin-cancer/melanoma>
“What
Are the Risk Factors for Melanoma Skin Cancer?” American Cancer Society. American Cancer Society, 1 February 2016.
Web. 24 April 2016. <http://www.cancer.org/cancer/skincancer-melanoma/detailedguide/melanoma-skin-cancer-risk-factors>
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