melanoma canada

A Historic Milestone: Manitoba Proclaims May as the First Provincial Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month

May is Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and this year marks a significant achievement as the Province of Manitoba joins the cause by proclaiming May 2023 as the first-ever Provincial Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month. Save Your Skin Foundation and Ocumel Canada are at the forefront of this initiative, leading local, national, and international campaigns to raise awareness about the importance of prevention and early detection of skin cancers.

Discover a comprehensive list of initiatives for Melanoma Skin Cancer Month and Ocular Melanoma awareness HERE.

For the fourth consecutive year, Save Your Skin Foundation’s proclamation initiative has invited Canadian municipalities to take a firm stance against skin cancer and educate their communities about sun safety through mayoral proclamations. As of May 25, 2023, an impressive 43 municipalities have committed to declaring May 2023 as ‘Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month.’ Check the list HERE to see if your city is among them.

The Honourable Audrey Gordon, on May 25th, 2023, officially proclaimed the month of May 2023 as Melanoma and Skin Awareness Month in Manitoba. This remarkable step underscores the government’s recognition of the importance of efforts aimed at reducing the incidence of skin cancer.

"The Save Your Skin Foundation's tireless work and initiatives in raising awareness about non-melanoma skin cancers, melanoma, and ocular melanoma through nationwide education, advocacy, and awareness campaigns are truly commendable. Our government acknowledges the significance of efforts to reduce the incidence of skin cancer. I extend my best wishes to Save Your Skin Foundation for the success of their planned events during Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month."

Hon. Audrey Gordon

We are immensely grateful to the Honourable Audrey Gordon for her support and belief in the importance of sun safety.

Additionally, members of our SYSF team have had the privilege of presenting to the Mayors and Councils of several municipalities nationwide, sharing their personal experiences as patients and spreading the crucial message of sun safety and early detection of skin cancer.

Monthly Patient Fireside Chats – Survivorship

5pm – 6:30pm PT | 8pm – 9:30pm ET

This year, we’re taking our monthly patient support chats in a new direction!

What’s new?

Our monthly chats are attended by a small standing group of core hosts, including SYSF Founder Kathy Barnard and fellow survivors, who take turns leading the group in a themed topic each month, allowing plenty of time for questions and discussion.

This month’s theme:

This month we’ll be celebrating survivorship and sharing stories of triumph. During this Fireside Chat we’re talking about celebrating cancer survivorship in honour of National Cancer Survivors Day in June with host Rob Stauffer who’s a melanoma survivor from Alberta, Canada.

Come learn and share with other patients and caregivers.

This month’s host:

Rob Stauffer, melanoma survivor, AB

Register Now

Virtual Trivia Night

4pm – 5:30pm PT | 7pm – 8:30pm ET

As part of Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month, we’re hosting a Virtual Trivia Night to celebrate and bring together patients, caregivers, health care providers, and advocates.

This event is an opportunity for us to come together, have some fun, and celebrate our shared dedication to the fight against skin cancer, melanoma, and ocular melanoma. It’s a chance to connect with others in the community, put your knowledge to the test, and win some great prizes.

Register as an individual. We will assign the teams, but will keep family/friends together as much as possible. Single players welcome! Tickets are $10 per person.

Prizes will be awarded to the top teams!

Register here

The Trivia Night will take place virtually on Zoom. It will be hosted by SYSF staff and will include 8 rounds on different topics and will require participation from each registrant. The host will ask questions to each team alternately and teams will be given a bit of time to discuss before submitting their final answer.

Meet The New Canadian UPF 50+ Protective Beachwear Line – KRABĒO

About The Founder of KRABĒO

In November 2021, I was told for the second time that I had cancer. This is not something one gets used to hearing, and at that moment I felt like another bomb went off in my life and my husband’s.

This diagnoses was followed by a series of tests that started from the end of November up to the 2021 holiday season. The reason for this was to gain an understanding of this possible recurrence all these years later.

Over 17 years ago, I had a beauty mark on my back that itched like a mosquito bite, which I thought was odd. That was back when tanning salons were a trend and I would visit them several times a week to do something about my “milky white” complexion. At this time, I felt I needed those sessions to look more “healthy”. I even had a membership at a local tanning salon! One day, just before settling in for a session, I discussed my beauty mark with the owner who urged me to get it checked out, which I did a few weeks later.

In creating KRABĒO, I find myself with peace of mind. Peace of mind for myself, my family and for you.

Marie-Ève Richard

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I was 24 when it first happened and honestly, I felt I was above it until a lymph node surfaced in September 2021. It was then that I noticed a small lump in my right groin that many doctors thought was harmless, but I had a feeling that it was not benign.

I had to persist with the healthcare system to go further and do more tests in order to find out what was wrong. When you have a feeling that something is wrong, you need to advocate for yourself & ask questions. In my case, I was indeed wrong. The doctors discovered after an ultrasound that it was melanoma. This was quite a shock & a return to square one.

I hesitated to tell my story when all of this happened, even to my kids, but I would come to understand the importance of sharing one’s life experiences. No matter if it’s good or bad because doing so can help others.

My story may be your story too! It made me realize the great lack of resources and knowledge about this disease and how to adequately protect myself from the sun. It’s because of what I went through that I decided to help the people around me and the population by developing a line of UV-protective beachwear. Our beachwear is certified and recognized by the highest world standards of sun protection and it covers 98% of UVA and UVB rays. KRABĒO was born from this desire and is made entirely made in Quebec with love. Now, whenever I see my clothing worn by people from all walks of life, including children, my heart swells at the idea that I was able to do my part in the fight against this preventable cancer that has cases increasing with each passing year.

In creating KRABĒO, I find myself with peace of mind. Peace of mind for myself, my family and for you.

About KRABĒO

At KRABĒO, we believe that the sun, the water and the beach are together a source of well-being. To take full advantage of it all, one thing is essential: sun protection. We love to enjoy the sun. The benefits it brings to our lives are of course impossible to ignore. We tend, however, to forget the risks related to UV rays.

We can’t say it enough: ultraviolet rays from the sun lead to premature ageing, the appearance of skin blemishes, as well as skin cancer, which represents a full third of the most widespread cancers in the world.
For us, skin protection in all of its aspects lies at the very centre of every one of our decisions; indeed, it is our guiding principle.

Our laboratory-tested fabrics are certified UPF 50+ and block 98% of UVA and UVB rays, without any toxic products involved, neither for the skin nor for the planet.

They have been carefully chosen to meet two criteria: protecting our skin and preserving the oceans.

KRABĒO has generously offered a special 10% discount to all Save Your Skin Foundation newsletter subscribers. The code will be available in our May newsletter so hurry up and subscribe if you haven’t already!

Subscribe to our newsletter for a 10% discount

All Collections

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Children’s Collection

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New Arrivals

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Their dedication to the cause

KRABĒO is committed to helping others. That’s why the KRABĒO community lends its hand to those suffering from skin cancer by supporting the Save Your Skin Foundation and donating a portion of its profits to the cause!

Donate Today!

Welcoming MorrisonRowe – A New Canadian UV Protective Clothing Brand

MorrisonRowe is an EVERYday sun protection clothing company based in Calgary, Alberta. MorrisonRowe was founded by long-time friends Cara and Tegan after Cara was diagnosed with multiple basal cell carcinomas. Her dermatologist recommended that she cover up as much as possible and wear sun protective clothing when outside. She found lots of options for the beach or sport specific activities but struggled to find casual, everyday UPF 50+ clothing. She didn’t want to look or feel like she was headed to the beach while she was out for daily activities such as going to the park with her kids, walking the dog, or sitting on a patio with friends.

Cara and Tegan could not ignore this HUGE gap in the market and the need for casual everyday UPF 50+ sun protection clothing. What started as a need, turned into a business idea and Cara and Tegan embarked on the journey to launch their own UPF 50+ sun protection clothing brand.

Prior to starting MorrisonRowe Cara worked as a registered nurse in surgical oncology and Tegan a professional engineer. Neither had any previous fashion industry experience so it was quite a journey to build the brand from scratch.

Our mission is to make sun protection clothing part of your everyday wardrobe so you can grab something from your closet and know that no matter where the day takes you, sun protection is there. We have combined timeless style and everyday comfort with UPF 50+ protection so you don’t have to choose between looking great, feeling good, and protecting your skin.

Cara and Tegan

Cara and Tegan had some guiding principles for the brand; they wanted all of their clothes to be rated UPF 50+, they wanted to be a Canadian brand, and they wanted their clothes to be sustainably sourced and ethically made.

In terms of the actual clothing, Cara and Tegan had specific design concepts and fabric preferences. To them “everyday” means clothes that are timeless, casual and relaxed. Something that you will reach for any and EVERY day. For the fabrics, Cara and Tegan wanted natural fiber fabrics like Tencel™, hemp, and organic cotton because they offer superior breathability, feel great on your skin, and their production is generally more sustainable. This fabric preference is a definite departure from most available UPF 50+ clothing.

Finding fabrics proved to be one of the biggest challenges on the journey to launching MorrisonRowe. (Other than the pandemic and raising young children of course). Cara and Tegan searched tirelessly to find sustainable and ethically made, natural and recycled fabrics that were UPF 50+. Most fabric manufacturers Cara and Tegan contacted had minimal or no experience with UPF testing and rating, especially when it came to using natural fiber fabrics.

They knew that natural fiber fabrics with UPF 50+ ratings existed but sourcing them proved to be a challenge. They quickly learned that if they wanted to use natural fiber fabrics they would have to send them for testing and rating themselves. Fabrics were chosen based on what Cara and Tegan wanted in terms of how they feel, the composition, the garment design, and sustainability and then sent for basic UPF testing. If the result came back below UPF 50, Cara and Tegan were back to square one. This happened a few times before they found the right fabrics.

All MorrisonRowe fabrics are independently third party tested and rated at a lab in Quebec according to industry standards (ASTM D6544 and AATCC 183) to ensure every colour is UPF 50+. MorrisonRowe fabrics are all free of any chemical treatments to make them UPF 50+. Rather, the natural characteristics of the fibers, the structure of the fabric, and the colour is what makes the fabric UPF 50+.

All MorrisonRowe clothes are designed and manufactured in Canada. Cara and Tegan have worked with a local Calgary designer, Ereau Designs, from the beginning. And manufactured solely in Calgary until recently moving manufacturing to Vancouver. They have styles for women, men, and children and are continuing to expand their catalogue.

MorrisonRowe has generously offered a special 10% discount to all Save Your Skin Foundation newsletter subscribers. The code will be available in our May newsletter so hurry up and subscribe if you haven’t already!

Subscribe to our newsletter for a 10% discount

Women’s Collection

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Men’s Collection

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Junior Collection

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Dr. Smylie Receives the CMC Legacy Award

Dr. Michael Smylie was the recipient of the 2023 Canadian Melanoma Conference Legacy Award which was presented on February 26, 2023. Kathy Barnard, Save Your Skin Foundation’s founder and former patient of Dr. Smylie, had the honour of saying a few words about this incredible doctor, friend, athlete and father. She read several testimonials from former patients and caregivers, including the following one from her very own sister, Rosemary Westie:

“To Mike,

When you love someone who’s diagnosed with cancer, the world as you know it comes to an end. When my big sister and best friend was diagnosed I was petrified. I couldn’t imagine a life without her in it, none of our family could. But sadly, as a family, you can only do so much. You can provide love, support, and hope, but at the end of the day, you’re still petrified, because love, support and hope can’t cure this relentless disease.

In the early years through the various treatments and surgeries my sister had, we always feared we were on borrowed time. Although she stayed strong and dealt with everything this disease threw at her, there came the day we dreaded, where we were told there was nothing they could do. The panic and fear that set in at that stage was indescribable, I simply could not breathe. But then, when we were at our most desperate, we were granted a miracle. And that miracle was you, Mike Smylie.

I know now, years later, that you are simply a lovely and humble man. You’re a wonderful dad and a friend to many. You are a tremendous athlete, and a connoisseur of excellent rum. In fact, as far as I’m concerned, your only flaw is that you are an Edmonton Oilers fan🤣.

But can I tell you, Mike, that when we first met under such dire circumstances, to me, my sister and our entire family, you were this divine, all-powerful, god like, super being, that had my sisters life in your hands. I wonder if you realized that you controlled the fate of our family. Our future, our happiness, whether she would live or die.

I think about that now, and what a huge burden that was to place on your shoulders, and to think that you didn’t just carry that burden for her, but for every single one of your patients.

I hope we weren’t asking too much of you Mike, but we needed you, desperately. You brought calm to our panic, you brought hope when we felt hopeless. You helped us understand what was happening, and what to expect throughout the treatment, which was invaluable when we were in the eye of the storm. You always made us feel like she was your only patient and your biggest priority, and we know you did the same for everyone single one of your patients. 🙂

You, my dear, just have to accept that you will always be our super hero. Not the one wearing the cape, but the one wearing the wings, and of course the tight bike shorts. 🤣Thank you Mike, for saving my sisters life.

Kath’s sister Rose”

Dr. Michael Smylie has been a good friend of the Foundation since its creation. He sits on our Medical Advisory Committee and has been a frequent presenter on our webinars, including our most recent Post-CMC 2023 Update webinar. Dr. Michael Smylie is a medical oncologist at the Cross Cancer Institute, and professor at the Department of Oncology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.

Congratulations Dr. Smylie!

Get ready for A Viking’s Challenge 4th Edition!

In March of 2020, Chris Isfeld and his childhood friend Shawn Bjornsson completed a massive challenge. Three years after Chris was diagnosed with late stage melanoma and recovered from being partially paralyzed from the waist down, they ran 30km across frozen Lake Winnipeg and raised almost $20,000 for melanoma patients.

One year later, they were facing a different kind of Viking’s challenge: a global pandemic that kept Chris from returning to Gimli to run on the lake with Shawn. But that didn’t stop them from getting people all over Canada to join them in running and to raise funds and awareness wherever they were.

Last year, life threw Chris yet another curve-ball. A large mass was found on his right adrenal gland, forcing him to stop training to focus on his treatment.

Finally, this year, Chris is aiming to be back on the lake with his friend Shawn, despite the ongoing treatments and side-effects that come with fighting a dangerous cancer. Chris is again showing amazing fearlessness and grit by challenging himself both physically and mentally. By joining A Viking’s Challenge 2023 and pledging to run or walk, you will make a powerful statement of support for Chris and fellow melanoma patients across Canada.

All registrants will receive a charitable donation tax receipt and those who want one will receive a beautiful AVC medal. If you’d like a special ‘A Viking’s Challenge’ t-shirt or other merchandise, please visit our Etsy store to make a purchase. Make sure to place your order soon if you want your t-shirt in time for the event!

To learn more about Chris’s story and the inaugural event, click here.

A Message from Chris

“When a successful treatment suddenly stops working, you can’t help but panic, especially when the only other options are clinical trials or major surgeries.“

This year has been challenging, with plenty of bumps along the way. In July 2022, I got accepted into a promising trial run by a leading melanoma oncologist out of Princess Margaret’s Cancer Clinical Research Unit in Toronto. The trial required participants to have two or more active tumours so one could be surgically harvested and sent to a lab in the U.S. where they rapidly reproduce tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL). The surgery was challenging due to previous radiation treatments. Unfortunately, the trial was unsuccessful and the lab was unable to produce the cancer-fighting lymphocytes.

I want everyone to know that my spirits are still high and I’m far from throwing in the towel. I’ll be participating in a 4th edition of A Viking’s Challenge this March 4th on Lake Winnipeg and challenge everyone else to lace up and get active to support the Save Your Skin Foundation. I plan on being in Gimli for the weekend, but you can participate anywhere and in any way. I haven’t run since before my surgery and have no idea what I am capable of with my surgery-related hernia, but I promise to give it my all!

Event Details

When: March 4-5, 2023
Where: Anywhere in Canada. Chris and Shawn will be running in Gimli, MB, the largest Icelandic community outside of Iceland.
How: To participate, you must first register here and pledge to run a certain number of kilometres. We will keep a running tally of the number of kilometres pledged and see how many times we can “cross” Lake Winnipeg.

Each participant will have the option to get a free medal to commemorate their participation.

As always, every dollar raised through this event will go directly to assisting melanoma, non melanoma skin cancer and ocular melanoma patients meet their everyday needs during treatment in the form of transportation, accommodation, child care and more.

So what are you waiting for? Register now and start training to channel your inner Viking!

Webinar – Post-CMC 2023 Update from Dr. Smylie

Date/Time: March 1 – 5pm-6:30 pm PT / 8pm-9:30 pm ET

Presented by Dr. Michael Smylie, Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton, this webinar will review breaking news, key takeaways, clinical data and other updates presented at the Canadian Melanoma Conference (CMC) taking place in Banff, Alberta, from February 23-25, 2023. Dr. Smylie will present on key clinical trial data from 2022 in the management of melanoma, the latest strategies in melanoma as they pertain to medical oncology, pathology, radiation and surgery, and implementation approaches that maximize patient standard of care in melanoma. Dr. Michael Smylie is a medical oncologist at the Cross Cancer Institute, and a professor at the Department of Oncology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton

View Webinar Recording (English) Here

Presenters:

Kathy Barnard, President, SYSF, melanoma stage 4 survivor
Dr. Michael Smylie, Medical Oncologist, Cross Cancer Institute, Professor, Department of Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton

More on CMC

This conference brings together medical oncologists, surgeons, dermatologists, radiotherapists, pathologists, molecular biologists, immunologists, and other allied health professionals interested in the treatment of melanoma worldwide.

Describe key clinical trial data from 2022 in the management of melanoma and understand the impact on Canadian practices.
Understand the latest strategies in melanoma as they pertain to medical oncology, pathology, radiation, and surgery.
Implement approaches that maximize patient standard of care in melanoma.

Hockey Fights Cancer Focuses on Save Your Skin Foundation This Year

Save Your Skin Foundation has been chosen to receive special focus during the Vancouver Canucks’s Hockey Fights Cancer Night!

This year’s Hockey Fights Cancer game will have a special focus and holds important meaning to a member of the Canucks family. In 2020, Natalie Miller’s mother, Janet, passed away from metastatic melanoma. Since her diagnosis, J.T. and Natalie have supported Save Your Skin Foundation. The Vancouver Canucks announced this morning that a $20,000 donation will be made to Save Your Skin Foundation on behalf of the Canucks for Kids Fund.

If you’d like to join us on Sat, Dec. 3rd at Rogers Arena, you can purchase your tickets using the following link and SYSF will get $10 from every ticket sold: https://offer.fevo.com/arizona-coyotes-ebylfkn-46c643. We will have a booth in section 111 so if you come to the game, make sure to come say hi! A video featuring SYSF founder Kathy Barnard will play during the game and our booth will be features as well.

On top of all this, the purple jerseys worn by the players during their warm-up session will be auctioned off with proceeds coming to SYSF. We are truly honoured by the generosity shown by the Vancouver Canucks and the J.T. Miller family, and by this wonderful opportunity to bring greater awareness to melanoma.

Read the full press release here for more details.

Webinar – Living with Cancer: Survivorship & Mental Wellness

Date/Time: November 23, 2022 – 5pm-6:30 pm PT / 8pm-9:30 pm ET

This webinar will focus on the experience of cancer survivors and the importance of mental wellness from the perspective of four women with unique backgrounds and experiences in the cancer space. Shannon Gaudette, a melanoma stage 4 survivor, will talk about her physical and emotional wellbeing throughout her cancer experience. She will be followed by Antonella Scali, Executive Director of the Canadian Psoriasis Network and the daughter of a cancer survivor, who will talk about the results of a survey completed by All.Can Canada and implications for mental health and the need for psychosocial supports. Then, Kathy Barnard, president of the Save Your Skin Foundation and a melanoma stage 4 survivor, will talk about her experience as a long-time survivor. Finally, Lyanne Westie, SYSF wellness support consultant, will present on the importance of mental wellness in all aspects of life. These short presentations will be followed by a discussion between the four presenters, with time for questions from webinar attendees.

Watch the recording here

Presenters:

Kathy Barnard, President, SYSF, melanoma stage 4 survivor
Antonella Scali, MSW RSW, Executive Director, Canadian Psoriasis Network
Shannon Gaudette, melanoma stage 4 survivor
Lyanne Westie, SYSF wellness support consultant

A Historic Milestone: Manitoba Proclaims May as the First Provincial Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month