It’s the month of May and the 2015 NFL Draft is officially a wrap. The New York Giants made the most of the draft, using their picks wisely to draft talented players while simultaneously addressing their many needs at offense line, defensive line, and safety.
During this month, the drafted players will finish their last year of college, sign their rookie contracts, and attend minicamps. However, more importantly, May is Melanoma Awareness Month.
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You may be wondering what this has to do with football and the New York Giants. Well, since 2012, the Giants have partnered with Melanoma Exposed™(now part of the American Academy of Dermatology’s SPOT Skin Cancer initiative), a public awareness campaign whose main objective is to educate Americans about melanoma and its risk factors and encourage them to take a more active role in their skin health.
As part of the New York Giants’ partnership with Melanoma Exposed™, over 600 New York Giants fans receive free skin cancer screenings at MetLife Stadium each year. In addition to that, the team offers these free screenings at MetLife Stadium during their annual New York Giants Run of Champions 5K Presented by Walgreens and Duane Reade in June.
Kicking off Melanoma Awareness Month is Melanoma Monday which falls on the first Monday of May. In honor of this, I would like to bring attention to this very important issue and share some facts with everyone.
- Melanoma is a skin cancer that originated in the melanocytes, cells in the skin that produce pigment. Although less common that other skin cancers, melanoma is much more dangerous because of its aggressiveness and high likelihood of spreading to other parts of the body if not caught early, which is why early detection is key.
- It is most commonly caused by ultraviolet radiation from sunlight or tanning beds which trigger genetic mutations, leading skin cells to multiply rapidly and become cancerous.
- According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 73,870 new cases of melanoma will be diagnosed in 2015. Melanoma accounts for less than 2% of all skin cancer cases, but the vast majority of skin cancer deaths.
- 1 in 50 Americans will develop melanoma in their lifetime, with it being the fastest growing cancer worldwide.
- Men are nearly twice as likely to die from melanoma as women.
- The NY tri-state area (NY, NJ, CT) continues to be at the top for new cases of melanoma skin cancers year after year
As you gear up to attend training camp and games to watch your team’s rookies and veterans play, remember to protect your skin from sun damage and cut down your risk of skin cancer like melanoma. It may not be the best topic but it’s a very important one that everyone needs to remember, not only during May but throughout the year.
For more information on melanoma and screening centers near you, visit the American Academy of Dermatology’s Spot Skin Cancer initiative homepage at https://www.aad.org/spot-skin-cancer.
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