Like many calls to action to fight the disease, Dan Mechem's decision to tackle skin cancer was born out of personal history. In Mechem's case, it was the death of a close friend.

Skin cancer and golf: how a man hopes to stop the disease

Dan Mechem - Photo: DR

"He had never seen a dermatologist", Mechem said. “He was completely caught off guard. He told me a week before his death that he felt he didn't have to die. "

As part of his research into skin cancer after his friend's death, Mechem was disappointed with what he was offered and what was being done to fight what he calls the most growing cancer. quickly in the country. With his friend Randy Wyatt, who has spent more than 40 years in the health sector, and more recently in a for-profit company specializing in skin cancer, Mechem has therefore decided to create his own non-profit association. for skin cancer, called SknVue.

Eager to spread the word around the world, he followed the advice of his father, Charles Mechem, former commissioner of the LPGA.

“He said why not focus on golf. Golf is an outdoor sport, and it is certainly global ”, said Mechem, a Californian businessman and financial advisor.

The result surprised Mechem, who said not only did players like Nancy Lopez, Juli Inkster, Dottie Pepper, Andy North and others like the idea of ​​battling skin cancer, but they skipped on the opportunity to serve on the SknVue Board of Directors.

"A lot of people don't know that skin cancer is the most common cancer in the world, and actually the most preventable.", two-time US Open champion North said in the statement announcing the formation of the non-profit Oceanside. “Skin cancer, you've been warned. We vehemently pursue you to save lives. "

Work on spreading the message

While SknVue's nonprofit status remains on the table - the company has met for the past four months - Mechem said he, Wyatt and other SknVue members are making plans to push through the message of skin cancer and its prevention to the public. The global awareness campaign, to be called Skn In the Game, will focus its efforts on the golfing community around the world.

The figures for skin cancer can be frightening, but also encouraging to the public, said Mechem. Mechem said that one in five people suffer from some form of skin cancer before the age of 70. But he added that 80% of people have never seen a dermatologist, the first step in identifying and treating skin cancer. With early detection, the skin cancer survival rate is 99% for five years.

One of Mechem and Wyatt's goals will be to engage a growing number of golfers in the nonprofit association.

"We want a coalition of people who are in golf", said Mechem. “We're going to be approaching the players, Golf Channel, PING, everyone who's in golf, to get involved in our effort. "

One of those partnerships will be with the LPGA and its development channel, the Symetra Tour, to enable these organizations to reach their fans with the skin cancer message. Other plans call for a partnership with a Canadian healthcare company, MetaOptima. Mr Mechem said details of this partnership will be communicated in the coming month and will focus on possibilities for people to take charge of their skin care health as a first step.

Mr Mechem, who admits Wyatt is the science-trained partner in the non-profit organization, said the message to people can be as simple as understanding what works and what doesn't in the business. fight against skin cancer. Exposure to the sun, even on a cloudy day, can cause problems, and Mechem is a strong advocate for banning the use of tanning beds.

"Regarding sun protection, people sometimes use the wrong product", said Mechem. “There are products that are not really good for you. That's one of the things we want to do before we get into LPGA and Symetra, find out who has the right products, the products that we want to be involved with. "

For more information, visit the website http://www.sknvue.org or the SkinVue pages on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, or Dan Mechem, 888-367-5956, for contact details of the partners.