3 minute read
Partnership puts focus on rural melanoma risk
Farmers, growers and rural workers are being urged to sign up for a melanoma spot check.
Jack Keeys was shocked when he found out in 2019 that the mole on his upper back was a melanoma. He was just 24 years old. “The scary thing is I nearly skipped my annual skin check because of my age. I was thinking about going the following year instead,” he says. Melanoma New Zealand CEO Andrea Newland says that while melanoma can be perceived as a concern only for older people, that’s not the case. “Melanoma can be found in younger age groups too, especially people aged 25-39,” she says. For Jack, his skin check caught the melanoma early and after two surgeries he was given the all-clear by his specialist. “I am really relieved that I didn’t wait; my skin check has probably saved my life,” Jack says. Jack’s mum lives on a dairy farm near his home town of Paeroa, and he’s moved back home to help out. He juggles this with his role as an agri-food research and insights analyst at KPMG in Auckland. Melanoma NZ’s Andrea says we have the highest incidence of the cancer in the world. More than 4,000 people are diagnosed with melanoma each year and about 300 people die from it. More people die from skin cancer than die on our roads.
| With an all-clear from his specialist, Jack Keeys relaxes on the family farm near Paeroa.
Rural people are at particular risk, which is why Melanoma NZ has partnered with insurer FMG to increase awareness among farmers and growers of how to protect your skin when outdoors and the importance of regular skin checks. “They will save lives,” Andrea says. For FMG, the most important asset on a farm is the farmer, its Chief Client Officer, Andrea Brunner, says. “The benefits of doing a regular skin check are undeniable given that if melanoma is caught early, it’s almost always curable. Our farmers and growers are among the most at risk of melanoma in the world due to New Zealand’s UV radiation intensity. Supporting you to remain well so that you can continue to grow and prosper is very important to us,” she says. Melanoma NZ and FMG launched their partnership at Fieldays in June. Visitors were encouraged to get a free spot check at the Melanoma NZ site. The team were inundated with farmers keen to get checked and ended up providing 673 checks. They identified 54 suspicious lesions (including melanomas) and these
MELANOMA AWARENESS WEEK
27th September to 1st October is Melanoma Awareness Week. You can join in by connecting with your local school or childcare centre and encouraging them to take part. They can raise funds for Melanoma NZ at the same time as raising awareness through selling cupcakes, a gold coin donation to dress up in spotty clothing, playing Spot the Difference games and more. Schools who take part and submit photos will be in to win a prize.
Schools can register on the Melanoma New Zealand website www.melanoma.org.nz/schools-get-spotted
were referred on for further evaluation. Each visitor to the van was also provided valuable education, empowering them to know what to look for when checking their skin. Melanoma NZ also did a survey that found 61 percent of people asked said they had never had a full-body skin check before. After speaking with the team, 82 percent said they would book one. Melanoma is preventable and is almost always curable if caught early enough, Andrea from Melanoma NZ says. “It’s more common in males than females but everyone is at risk. You’ll increase your risk of melanoma if you don’t protect your skin from sunlight and it’s important to be aware that sunburn at any age increases your risk of melanoma later in life.” The team at FMG are helping to share Melanoma NZ’s message through their connections into rural communities. This includes at events such as regional field days, A&P shows and community events.
