We had a couple of fantastic days in Boston. Upon arrival we parked in Copley Square, a few blocks from the Hynes Convention Center (a.k.a. The John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center). Copley Square is a place where tourists, office workers, and retail shoppers all converge in one location; we saw lots of foot traffic and people very interested in our booth. We were able to talk to many people, pass out literature, and Drs. Robin Travers and Glenn A. Dobecki screened 63 people in two days. One person said, “I saw you at the Rite Aid in Cambridge but didn’t have time to stop so I looked the tour up and found you today!”

Late Wednesday afternoon, we moved to Kenmore Square and handed out samples to people on the way to the Red Sox game. We were right by the bus/trolley exit and there was a very steady stream of folks heading to Fenway.

The RV is now headed to Seattle. We left on a very positive note and look forward to what’s to come during the last eight weeks on the road.

Richard K. Brown, MD

Prior to the start of the event we went around to all the businesses in the office park and invited the employees to come over. It turned out that we were stationed among some very health-conscious offices and many employees from the surrounding businesses came over for a screening.

A special thanks to Richard K. Brown, MD, who worked so hard today and screened an amazing 26 patients in two hours!

The event today was “familiar faces in familiar places”! Dr. Caroline Kim and Mee-Young Lee, PA, participated in last year’s tour and it was great to have them back again this year. They had a good time reviewing the photos of the doctors working on year’s tour. They performed 25 exams and found several suspected basal cell carcinomas and a suspected AK.

Mona Gohara, MD

Patients were both eager to take advantage of our free screenings and excited to get in on our only stop in CT. When we arrived at the Rite Aid we already had a group of ladies waiting for us. One of them told us, “When something is free, I always come early. I’ve been here for two hours just reading my book and waiting for you guys to arrive.” Arriving two hours early was really not necessary! Folks here knew about the screenings but were also very impressed and surprised to learn about all the other free information that went along with the tour. Dr. Mona Gohara was great and found four suspected basal cell carcinomas and a suspected melanoma.

One person commented, “I was wicked excited [“wicked excited”— that’s how we know we’re in New England!] to see you at Rite Aid this morning, I pass by here everyday on my afternoon walk.”

Upon our arrival at 10 AM, 20 anxious patients were waiting for screenings. People had driven for hours. The RV had a great location right next to the interstate—one person said, “I saw you all from the other side of the highway and decided to check it out.”

The Skin Cancer RV arrived bright and early Sunday morning in Avalon, NJ, just south of Atlantic City. Thanks to Dr. Coyle S. Connolly and his wonderful team, we were able to screen an amazing 56 patients in four hours. The team found 17 suspected actinic keratoses; six suspected basal cell carcinomas; three suspected squamous cell caricinomas, and two suspected melanomas—wow.

David H. Finkelstein, MD

Today was a good day at this Rite Aid store. We were parked in a spot that was visible from all major roads and that was very helpful in generating some activity today. It was the RV that caught people’s attention!

The doctor, David H. Finkelstein, was great. Barrington was a last-minute addition to the Tour, but everyone was very grateful to have our services and spent time selecting brochures from our information table. All in all – everyone was very nice today and it was a pleasant stop in Barrington. One person took a 12-mile cab ride to get a screening with us, and one couple said, “We saw you driving this morning; we’re headed to the shore and decided to follow you to get some sunscreen!”

Within 10 minutes of our arrival, we had a line of people eager to see the doctor. It’s gratifying to see that people are becoming more aware of skin cancer and the importance of an annual screening. Everyone was appreciative and grateful for the opportunity to get screened. We also owe a big thanks to Dr. Marlene Mash who was very flexible and cooperative as we got this event underway.

Today we had an almost perfect day. As we pulled in we noticed our area had been coned off (thank you, Lancaster Rite Aid!), but there were no people waiting. As we began to set up we noticed people getting out of their cars; they had all been waiting in the air conditioning! We started our line in the shade and had a great steady crowd all day long. Our doctors never had a dull moment.

One person commented, “I just found a spot on my back yesterday and called the dermatologist but couldn’t get an appointment for six months so I came here today!”

People were very excited to get to see Dr. Kegel, our volunteer dermatologist here, because she does not take new patients and everyone thinks she is an EXCELLENT dermatologist.

Our first screening of the day was a woman who actually saw us driving on the interstate and followed us to the event!

Carmen (the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center screening and outreach coordinator) and the UK medical team were fabulous. With their help, the event ran flawlessly. The doctors worked nonstop and were able to screen 62 patients (discovering two suspected melanomas, among other suspicious findings). Carmen bought lunch for the whole staff and also provided cold bottled water for all the patients waiting to be screened.

We also met a woman who was staying at our hotel, saw the RV in the parking lot, looked us up online and decided to come for a screening!

Everyone that we couldn’t fit in yesterday came back today and then some! We had people waiting for us when we arrived. People came from Nashville, Arkansas, and Mississippi. The sun was out today so we made sure that everyone in line had plenty of sunscreen to keep them protected while they waited to see the doctor. Our doctor today was extremely speedy and we were able to screen an amazing 38 people in three hours!

The Road to Healthy Skin Tour rolled into the Memphis Rite Aid on Union Avenue and was greeted by an eager crowd. People had driven from as far away as Louisiana just to get a screening and did not mind waiting for the free service. A local radio station teamed up with the tour and did a live broadcast from our event. This provided music and activities for those people waiting in line and generated some foot traffic. With only three hours of screenings and one doctor, we were able to provide 36 screenings!

The RV arrived at RiteAid in Jackson, MS, bright and early — around 9 AM — to find people already waiting for us! The first woman in line told us that she had arrived at 8 AM!

Dr. Asher was great. She came early and also stayed an extra 45 minutes to make sure she saw all of the people who had been waiting in line. An hour after the event started, an older gentlemen came up and begged us for a screening. We always try to be fair and once our screening slots are filled for the day, we turn everyone away; but today had to be an exception. By now, we have seen enough “suspicious spots” to know when something looks like it could be serious. This man definitely needed to be seen and we found a way to work him in. After the screening, we both wanted to cry: he had two suspected melanomas, two suspected squamous cell carcinomas, and a couple of suspected basal cells.

Austin proved to be a very heath-conscious city. We were located at a local YMCA, where patients stopped by to get screened before and after their daily workouts. Not even rain and scary thunderstorms deterred the patients from coming out, getting some helpful information, and a screening.

It was another busy day here in Texas. On the way to the Alamo this Sunday morning there was not a single car on the road, but upon arrival we were surprised to find five people waiting for the Skin Cancer Foundation’s RV at 8 AM. Little did we know that this was only the beginning!

The RV was busy all day, and despite the heat we were able to screen over 60 patients. One patient said, “Skin cancer is just like the Alamo. There will be victory or there will be death. We will never surrender.”