The Melanoma March in Noosaville was a great success on Sunday 26 March, with 75 people attending to remember loved ones lost and to support others currently being treated for melanoma.
The march was held at Chaplin Park on Kabi Kai Country, where local students from Class 4JB cut the ribbon to start the event, in memory of their classmate who passed away from melanoma last year.
Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA) called on Australians to join its 2023 Melanoma March campaign to help tackle Australia’s tanning culture.
A tan is skin cells in trauma, and the glamourisation of tanning in advertisements, social media and media is promoting a behaviour which we know kills.
MIA chief executive officer Matthew Browne said, “I’d like to thank all of those that attended the march in Noosa and our official Shade Partner, and local Noosa company CoolCabanas.“
CoolCabanas’ stepped in as Bak Slap, another local business, wasn’t able to support this year.
Shade is one of the key sun safe rules for preventing melanoma and CoolCabanas is revolutionising how Australian’s experience the great outdoors.
“These events don’t occur anywhere across Australia without a significant input from sort of what we call local committees, and there’s no exception for Noosa,“ Matthew said.
“With the help of these marches we will raise more funds and awareness for important research and to ultimately reach our mission, which is to get to zero deaths from melanoma.“
MIA’s 12th annual Melanoma March campaign needs to raise $1 million for Australia’s first clinical trial aimed to treat fear of cancer recurrence experienced by those with advanced disease.
The trial will focus on identifying and supporting advanced melanoma patients experiencing fear and anxiety about their melanoma recurring or progressing, with the findings also set to benefit other cancer patients.
