By Mark Squibb \ May 12, 2023
Beverly Corrigan-Barbour is once again organizing a Strides for Melanoma awareness walk for people along the Southern Shore.
“It’s a passion of mine, getting information out there and helping people on a yearly basis,” said Barbour, herself a Melanoma cancer survivor who began hosting the walk in 2020 after realizing no one else in the province had been doing so. “I made it my goal to make sure, that for that year at least, we were involved. The first year, people really enjoyed themselves, and people were becoming more informed and making decisions around sun safety… We had some people go and get moles checked and get treatment for skin cancer, not Melanoma thankfully. So, those positive things I’m hearing, and each year I think, ‘I need to do this again.’”
In March of 2019, Barbour noticed a very small mole on the side of her left knee. She decided to have the mole checked. Her family doctor removed it and sent it for further testing.
When her doctor called her back and told her it was Melanoma, she believed that because it was only a tiny mole and it was caught early, the Melanoma would clear up quickly.
“I honestly believed that because it was removed, I had nothing to worry about,” said Barbour. “I was very wrong… I, along with my family and close friends, were placed into unfamiliar territory; the world of a cancer patient with a full schedule of scans, tests, and specialist appointments. I had lymph nodes removed from my groin and a three-inch excision on the lateral portion of my knee. Thankfully, after six weeks of waiting for the results, it hadn't spread to my organs as it could have at a very quick rate.”
In March 2022, just ahead of last year’s walk, Barbour was diagnosed with Recurrent Malignant Melanoma.
“It’s been a rough year, between the surgeries and the treatments,” said Barbour. “Some days are better than others, But I keep a really positive attitude and I keep healthy, as healthy a lifestyle as I can. But it does put it into perspective, just how quickly this can come back… I don’t want people to go through this unnecessarily. There are so many cancers out there that are beyond people’s control, but this one, people can, with some wisdom, avoid.”
Barbour said it’s important that folks protect themselves against harmful UV rays.
“It takes only one blistering sunburn before the age of 20 to increase a person's chances of developing Melanoma,” said Barbour. “And once somebody knows that, and I’m sure we’ve all had at least one sunburn, it makes us aware that that little mole could be melanoma. If there’s any change in colour or size, or you have any concerns, get it checked out.”
She encourages people to use broad spectrum sunscreen, which protects from both UVA (ultraviolet A radiation) and UVB (ultraviolet B radiation) rays, and apply it at least 15 minutes before heading out, and to re-apply it frequently.
Strides for Melanoma is a national walk held across Canada on May 28.
The walk will start at 10 o’ clock at 16 Old Witless Bay Line. Folks will walk 2.5 kilometres and then return, making a full five kilometres. Following the walk there will be fundraising, games, live entertainment by Brian Finn and Con O’Brien, and guest speakers.
“It’s a really fun-filled afternoon,” said Barbour.
Barbour and her team of volunteers and walkers have raised over $18,000 the past three walks.
Donations go to Melanoma Canada, which uses the money to support initiatives like Mole Mobile – Canada's first Mobile Skin Cancer Screening Unit.
Mole Mobile visits major cities, underserved communities, and rural and indigenous regions to help people get their moles checked out. Mole Mobile will operate from May through September for the next five years, and visit a different part of the country each summer.
Mole Mobile launched in Toronto this May, and will service Ontario this summer.
Barbour said initiatives like this would not be possible without donations.
You can donate at https://melanomanetwork.akaraisin.com/ui/strides2023/g/39152.
