This year we hope to support our son’s beach rescue team in providing additional sun safety gear to the Wells Beach lifeguards.Īdditionally I have spoken to a myriad of audiences, been a member of the Billy’s Buddies support group, promoted the Your Skin Is In program to high schoolers and college students, held skin screenings at health fairs and sporting events, lobbied for restricted use of tanning beds by minors at the state level, and everyday try walking the talk in being a role model for sun safety and education. To date Greg, myself, and our daughter Erin, with the support of all our children and Team Earley members have collectively run 16 marathons, including the prestigious Boston Marathon and New York City this past Fall, while raising funds and awareness to support those affected by melanoma, raising close to $100,000 to date in support of this cause. From there a lifelong relationship was formed between Team Earley and IMPACT Melanoma.
We wanted to do something to help raise awareness about the potentially deadly disease and the dangers of over exposure to the sun, particularly in young people, and especially the irreversible damage from the use of tanning beds. In 2008, shortly after I was diagnosed with Stage IIIA melanoma, my husband Greg and I, started a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization,, along with our children as well as a handful of close friends as founding members. Also by wearing their masks around their compromised loved ones they may be protecting them, in a reverse precautions type of situation. My masks are also intended to help the caregivers and family members of those going thru treatment to have protection as they may travel with their loved ones to and from treatment centers. My hope is that these masks I am sewing will give melanoma patients peace of mind and a little extra protection during these uncertain times. What was the impetus to create them?Įarley: Being a 12-year melanoma cancer survivor, having gone through several surgeries and 12 month long immunotherapy treatments, I know firsthand the worries and concerns of how difficult it is to stay well when your body is immunocompromised or even just fatigued from the rigors of treatment. You’re making masks for IMPACT’s support groups, but I’m sure it’s more deeply rooted than this. IMPACT Melanoma: Tell us about what you have going on. Here’s a recent conversation we had with Kathy to get the inside scoop on her new mask sewing service. Our own melanoma support group patients are directly affected by her kind gesture here, and we can’t thank her enough… We commend her for everything she’s done and continues to do and are so grateful for her service, especially during this curious, compromised times. A melanoma survivor herself, Kathy knows firsthand about the importance of a good deed done and a helping hand received. Her latest “venture” has been the creation of protective masks which she is kindly and sewing up at her home and distributing to melanoma patients who are requesting them (along with her direct network of family and friends). We owe a great debt of gratitude to Kathy as she has helped our organization in innumerable ways.
We thought it would be apt to shed some light on one of our frequent do-gooders, Kathy Earley.