Run in the Coconuts on the Beach Twilight Beach 5K Race to Benefit the World Skin Cancer Foundation
Come join in on the fun and enter the Coconuts on the Beach 5K Twilight Beach Run to Benefit the World Skin Cancer Foundation.
WSCF President Dr. Jeannine M. Stein Spreads the Sun-Safe Word at Palm Bay High School
COCOA BEACH, Fla. (January 20, 2011) – World Skin Cancer Foundation (WSCF) President Dr. Jeannine M. Stein spent Friday, January 20, at Palm Bay High School visiting with students and faculty to offer career advice to aspiring future medical professionals while educating all who would listen on the benefits of a sun-safe lifestyle.
Skin cancer is the fastest growing form of cancer in the United States and carefree and indifferent high-school students can be particularly vulnerable to the dangers of the sun. Palm Bay is the largest city in central Florida’s Brevard County and offered a great opportunity for Dr. Stein to spread the sun-safe word while also giving some guidance to young students considering careers in medicine.
“An educational curriculum for students of all ages is a priority program for the World Skin Cancer Foundation, and we were honored to be invited to Palm Bay High School to build some awareness for the causes and prevention of skin cancer,” Dr. Stein said. “It was also encouraging to see how many young people in Palm Bay are truly interested in the medical profession. It will be well worth it if the time we spent with everyone at Palm Bay High today helps foster some growth in both of these important areas.”
Research shows that even a few sunburns as a child can greatly increase the chance of skin cancer later in life. Trying to break society’s image that tanned skin is healthy skin, particularly with teens and young adults, is one of the WSCF’s major challenges.
“We are well familiar with the major emphasis young people place on tanning, especially before Homecoming or Prom, but those perceived short-term beauty benefits can have drastic long-term implications,” said Dr. Stein, who conducted half-a-dozen seminars during her visit Friday. “Establishing sun-safe practices early in life will be a key component of our educational curriculum program that we plan to expand in the near future.”
If you are going to be spending even a short period of time in the sun, the WSCF recommends applying, before you go outside, sunscreen rated SPF (Sun Protection Factor) 30 or above and wearing a shirt, a hat and sunglasses.
Former Cocoa Beach Resident and Melanoma Survivor Mikki Kragelund Cycling Across New Zealand in Support of the World Skin Cancer Foundation
COCOA BEACH, Fla. (January 12, 2011) – Former Cocoa Beach resident and melanoma survivor Mikki Kragelund, and her friend Nina Oosterveer, started a journey of a lifetime on January 12th – one that could literally be a life-saving exercise for so many others – with a two-month cycling trip across New Zealand to raise awareness for skin cancer prevention and funding for the World Skin Cancer Foundation (WSCF).
Former Cocoa Beach resident and melanoma survivor Mikki Kragelund, and her friend Nina Oosterveer, have started a two-month cycling trip across New Zealand to raise awareness for skin cancer prevention and funding for the World Skin Cancer Foundation (WSCF).
The impressive trek appropriately began on Kragelund’s 26th birthday and roughly one year after her final treatment for melanoma, which is the deadliest of all skin cancers. The duo, which has taken on the name of “Sunny Cyclers,” started the ride in Cape Reinga, at the tip of New Zealand’s North Island, and plan to finish on March 12th in Bluff, the southernmost point of New Zealand’s South Island. Supporters can follow the ride’s progress and make donations at www.sunnycyclers.com or directly contribute to the fundraising campaign by following this donation link.
While the more than 2,400-kilometer adventure will take every bit of the two months to complete, the journey itself represents so much more to Kragelund. She was born in Denmark and currently lives in Queenstown in New Zealand, but Kragelund considers Cocoa Beach home. Her family moved to Florida when she was a young child and she grew up in Cocoa Beach, enjoying the ample outdoor activities for which the Central Florida seaside town is famous.
From the time she was young, Kragelund recalls her parents emphasizing the importance of travel, staying active and appreciating the outdoors. Spending time sailing, scuba diving, boating and surfing with family and friends was the norm throughout her childhood and it was, ironically, her close bond with her family that played a role in diagnosing her skin cancer.
Kragelund’s uncle is Southern California based dermatologist Dr. Bill Heimer who repeatedly urged his niece to get a skin check-up during family visits. When she didn’t, Dr. Heimer scheduled an appointment on his own for Kragelund and the end result was a diagnosis for stage-3 melanoma.
Kragelund was 24, just shy of graduating from college and ready to start the next chapter of her life. Instead, she tackled her melanoma head on and, after numerous visits to the doctor, 14 different biopsies and one major surgery, Kragelund graduated, was free of cancer and is now a vigorous advocate for the awareness and prevention of all types of skin cancer.
She met Oosterveer, 24 and a native of Holland, soon after moving to New Zealand. The two women have lived in Queenstown since April and got to know each other working at the same restaurant. Their mutual love of the outdoors created a quick friendship and they soon came up with the idea of a journey to draw attention to the global skin cancer epidemic.
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in New Zealand and the fastest growing type of cancer in the United States. Kragelund was familiar with the World Skin Cancer Foundation, which is headquartered in Cocoa Beach, and the Sunny Cyclers mission was born.
If Kragelund’s melanoma had remained undetected for a few more months, her chance of survival would have fallen to less than 10 percent. She and Oosterveer hope that spreading the word about Kragelund’s story will encourage others to get regular skin check-ups while still enjoying sun-safe outdoor activities. For the next two months, two dedicated and selfless “Sunny Cyclers” will be doing just that in New Zealand while supporting a truly worthy cause.
About the World Skin Cancer Foundation
The World Skin Cancer Foundation is a not for profit group which was founded in Cocoa Beach, Florida, to educate the public regarding the detrimental effects of unprotected sun exposure. Outdoor activities are increasingly popular and contribute to healthy lifestyles and the prevention of disease. To most effectively reduce long-term sun damage to the skin while enjoying these pursuits, healthy habits of sun protection need to be established at a young age and continued throughout life.
The WSCF is dedicated to promoting skin cancer awareness while encouraging everyone to enjoy a sun-safe outdoor lifestyle. Over one million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed every year and over 10,000 people die from skin cancer annually. The organization emphasizes SAFER sun enjoyment and tools to allow beneficial outdoor activities in moderation with sun protection. Through sponsored sporting activities such as surf contests and skateboard exhibitions, softball games and cycling and running events, sun protective practices will be demonstrated and emphasized. Free skin cancer screenings are offered as a public service and to provide those without access to medical care an opportunity to be examined and educated. Finally, through promoting the incorporation of UV awareness education into school curriculums and programs, an effort will be made to inform the youth about sun damage and change cultural views of sun exposure and tanning.
Contact: Adam Saal, World Skin Cancer Foundation: 321-890-2848 – SaalGoodPR@gmail.com
Bright House Networks Sixth Annual World Skin Cancer (WSCF) Foundation Slater Brohters Invitational a Success Halloween Weekend in Cocoa Beach
The 2011 edition of the World Skin Cancer Foundation’s Bright House Networks Sixth Annual Slater Brothers Invitational was a success in more ways than one this past Halloween weekend, October 27 – 30, with some world-class surfing and skaters blending seamlessly with two days of private skin cancer screenings just steps away from the action at Coconut’s on the Beach in Cocoa Beach.
Shaking off cloudy and occasionally rainy weather, a near-record 167 free skin cancer screenings were conducted on Saturday and Sunday. For the second straight year, five malignant melanomas were discovered in addition to seven squamous cell carcinomas and 34 basal cell carcinomas.
The medical professionals that kindly donated their time for the five total hours of screenings included Dr. Barbara Ash MD, Dr. Terrence Cronin Jr. MD, Dr. James Earhart MD, Dr. Tabitha Henderson, Dr. Lina Kanj, MD, Dr. Anthony Porter, MD and Christian Staniec, PA. World Skin Cancer Foundation President and Founding Board Member Dr. Jeannie Stein, MD and fellow Board Member Dr. Michael Spicer, MD, also conducted screenings. The group was capably assisted by a support staff of a dozen administrators and office staff professional who also selflessly donated their time.
The Bright House Networks Sixth Annual World Skin Cancer (WSCF) Foundation Slater Brothers Invitational surf contest is organized by the WSCF and Cocoa Beach surfing brothers Sean Slater, Kelly Slater and Stephen “Skippy” Slater in order to raise funds and educational awareness about the causes and prevention of skin cancer through what has become one of Central Florida’s premier surf contests.
The inclement weather this year actually helped create waves for the surfers and the mini ramp was able to dry out enough to allow the skate competition and exhibitions to take place. Other successes included the golf scramble that took place on the 24th and the sellout Donavon Frankenreiter concert on Friday night at Coconut’s with opening act Hayley Sales, who supported the Slater Brothers Invitational for the second straight year.
In addition to the fortunate individuals who received what may be life-saving skin cancer screenings, the weekend’s big winners were Cocoa Beach’s own Dave Awbrey, who won the $1,000 Shortboard competition, and fellow Floridian Justin Quintal who also pocketed a cool grand for his third straight Slater Invitational Longboard title . Bob Umbel was the overall Surf and Skate Scramble winner, edging Nolan Tyler who captured that contest’s surfing honors. Umbel in turn finished second to Dan Brown in the Masters Skate division.
The WSCF is dedicated to promoting skin cancer awareness – the fastest growing type of cancer in the United States – while encouraging everyone to enjoy a sun-safe outdoor lifestyle at events such as the Slater Brothers Invitational.
Over one million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed every year and over 10,000 people die from skin cancer annually. The most important benefit of supporting the World Skin Cancer Foundation and one of its many events is helping the organization’s efforts to raise awareness for skin cancer through education, prevention, detection and informational public signage while supporting sun-safe outdoor recreation.
The World Skin Cancer Foundation emphasizes SAFER sun enjoyment and tools to allow beneficial outdoor activities in moderation with sun protection. Through sponsored sporting activities such as sponsored surf contests and skateboard exhibitions, sun protective practices will be demonstrated and emphasized. Media ads, public service announcements, public speaking engagements and presence at festivals and gatherings will be used to disseminate sunscreen samples and sun wise information. Free skin cancer screenings will be offered as a public service and to provide those without access to medical care an opportunity to be examined and educated. Finally, through promoting the incorporation of UV awareness education into school curriculums and programs, an effort will be made to inform the youth about sun damage and change cultural views of sun exposure and tanning.