The Road to Healthy Skin Tour Blog

2012 Tour: It's a Wrap

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 22:30:00 GMT

The Road to Healthy Skin Tour wrapped up its 2012 season at the end of September and after six months on the road, we’re heading home. On the way, we celebrated another major Tour milestone when the RV logged 100,000 miles!

As we traveled throughout the country, we met wonderful people and many shared their own stories and experiences. Stories like the woman in Virginia who was battling her own case of melanoma, but still found the strength to bring her children to our event to get a screening…or the teenage boy in California whose father passed away from melanoma a week prior to our event. Every story was touching and we will never forget them.

We also had the pleasure of working alongside 131 dedicated dermatologists this year. Without these wonderful volunteers, the Tour would not have had the ability to screen more than 3,000 participants and provide information to thousands more who stopped by to learn about skin cancer.

The Skin Cancer Foundation, and the amazing sponsors who have supported this program over the past five years, have truly made a difference across America. At the end of our fifth year, more than 16,000 visitors have received free skin cancer screenings, and nearly 7,000 suspected cancers and precancers have been detected – some being potentially deadly melanoma.

We hope that our efforts have saved lives and through the education that the Tour provides, that we’ve given many people the knowledge they need to live a life free of skin cancer.

Safe sun to all, and we hope to see everyone again next year!

Chris & Christie

September 21 and 22, Houston, TX: A Warm Welcome from Randall’s

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 20:16:02 GMT

The Road to Healthy Skin Tour stopped at the Randall’s grocery store in Austin, TX for another year in a row. This year we were given the opportunity to hold the event for two. Once again, we were spoiled by the Randall’s staff; they set up several tents to provide shade as well as chairs and water for those who were waiting to be screened. Throughout the day we had a constant stream of traffic but never an overwhelming line. Thomas Nichols, MD, Susan Chon, MD and Karen Chen, MD volunteered their time to make the 2-day event possible and successful by providing free skin cancer screenings to a total of 69 patients, detecting 31 suspicious findings and one melanoma. We can’t wait to return to Randall’s next year!

September 18 and 19, Arlington, TX: UT Students Care About Skin Cancer

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 20:15:20 GMT

The University of Texas at Arlington was the site of the 2-day screening event for the Road to Healthy Skin Tour. The University had us parked in an ideal location, inside the library mall (outdoors), where the Health Center is located and adjacent to many of the popular buildings. The Public Health and Safety Office staff coordinated the entire event and were a huge help both days. Ellen Turner, MD and Ryan Nulph, PA-C, provided the free skin cancer screenings on Tuesday, while Patrick Walsh, MD volunteered his time on Wednesday to complete a total of 5 hours over the 2-day event. Overall, they were able to screen 73 participants and detect 23 suspicious lesions. It was a great campus and the students here really cared about skin cancer.

September 16, Austin, TX: Texas Hospitality

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 20:14:37 GMT

It was a rainy day when the Road to Healthy Skin Tour made a stop at the REI store located in the Gateway shopping center in Austin, TX. Christopher Jones, MD and Daniel Ladd, DO volunteered their afternoon to provide free skin cancer screenings and made the best of the unfortunate weather, which, thankfully, did not deter participants from lining up. Miranda Darr from Tru-skin Dermatology and the Shade Project came by with several other people to help at the event; they talked to the participants in line and provided an extra tent to keep them out of the rain while they waited. Dr. Jones and Dr. Ladd were able to screen 38 participants within the 4-hour event and detected 60 suspicious findings, none of which were melanoma.

September 14, San Antonio, TX: Lone Star Screenings

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 20:13:57 GMT

Despite the rainy and windy weather in San Antonio, TX, people still came out to the Road to Healthy Skin Tour at the Village at Stone Oak for their free skin cancer screening. Everyone was so grateful for the event taking place in their town and excited to check out what the Tour had to offer. Alfred Hockley, MD and Virnalisis Gonzalez, MD provided 18 screenings, detecting 8 potentially cancerous and precancerous lesions. We look forward to working with both doctors next year and will hope for better weather!

September 9, Mesa, AZ: Adios Arizona!

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:20:06 GMT

Bass Pro Shop in Mesa, AZ was the site for today’s Tour stop. The Tour has been to this location on several occasions in the past 5 years and as always, the store was ready and eager for our arrival. The manager had us located directly outside of the exit doors where we couldn’t be missed by the outgoing shoppers. Susan Pardee, MD and Paul English, MD volunteered for the day, screening 24 participants, which led to the detection of 15 suspicious lesions and 1 potential melanoma. It was another great event and the last of the Arizona stops, now on to Texas for the remaining stops of the Tour!

September 8, Phoenix, AZ: Second Year at Science Center

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:19:49 GMT

The Road to Healthy Skin Tour made a stop at the Arizona Science Center in downtown Phoenix, AZ to hold a free skin cancer screening event for its second year in a row. Deborah Mendelson, MD and William Davy, MD volunteered their day to perform 38 screenings on local participants, detecting 15 suspicious lesions. The Science Center has many exhibits for children and was a great family-oriented stop for the Tour. We hope to return to the Science Center next year for another fun and educational event!

September 7, Phoenix, AZ: Screenings within the Native American Community

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:19:32 GMT

The Pavilions at Talking Stick, a local shopping center and part of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community in Scottsdale, AZ, was the host of the Road to Healthy Skin Tour. The RV was greeted by eager people waiting for their free skin cancer screening as well as some early morning rain, which helped cool down the parking lot before the heat kicked in during the afternoon. Cynthia Price, MD and her medical assistant, Sheila Frakes from Linder Dermatology, volunteered their entire day to provide screenings to the public. Over the course of the day, 51 participants were screened, resulting in the detection of 28 suspicious lesions with 2 being potential melanomas. It was a great event and we look forward to seeing everyone in Scottsdale next year!

August 30, Las Vegas, NV: What Happened in Vegas

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:19:10 GMT

It was a short day in Las Vegas, NV for the Road to Healthy Skin Tour. With only 2 hours of screenings, Harry Greenburg, MD had his work cut out for him. Shortly after Dr. Greenburg’s arrival, the local NBC news station stopped by for a brief interview with the doctor and to capture some of the event. Dr. Greenburg was able to screen 16 participants and detect 16 suspicious lesions.

August 27, Carlsbad, CA: From FOX to Findings

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:18:51 GMT

The Tour made a brief appearance at the local FOX station in San Diego, CA. William Groff, DO met the RV at the studio around 7 AM for a few quick segments to air on the morning newscast. After the news wrapped up, we quickly headed north towards Carlsbad for the last event to be held at a Rite Aid location where people who watched our segment waited in anticipation for our arrival. With the help of Dr. William Groff and Harrison McDonald, MD, we were able to provide 56 screenings, detecting 64 suspicious lesions during the 6-hour event. Among the 64 suspicious lesions, 2 were determined as suspected melanomas!

August 26, San Diego, CA: Sunday in San Diego

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:18:32 GMT

The Road to Healthy Skin Tour made a stop in the beachside community of Ocean Beach in San Diego, CA. Due to the amount of sun exposure, beach communities are always a popular and necessary stop for the Tour. Local dermatologist, Erik Gilbertson, MD volunteered two hours of his Sunday afternoon to provide free skin cancer screenings to 38 patients. It was a busy day in Ocean Beach, finding a total of 5 suspected melanomas and 36 other suspicious lesions.

August 23, Long Beach, CA: Beach Living Means More Screenings

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:18:13 GMT

The beach community of Long Beach, CA was a popular stop for the Tour. Shortly after our arrival at the Rite Aid off Cherry Ave., people began to show up for their free skin cancer screening. They were very grateful for the Tour because they spend a lot of time in the sun and skin cancer is one of their biggest worries while living along this California coastline. Mavis Billings, MD and Yu-Fahn Yuen, MD volunteered 6 hours of their day to provide screenings to 56 participants resulting in 52 suspicious findings. We look forward to making another stop in Long Beach next year and hope to see everyone again for their annual skin cancer screening. Said one participant, "I read about the Tour in Fitness magazine last year and missed you guys. I have been following ever since and marked my calendar months ago for your Southern California stops.”

August 22, Torrance, CA: Steady in So. Cal

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:17:56 GMT

The Tour had a slow yet successful day at the Rite Aid in Torrance, CA. We had 5 solid hours of screenings and 3 wonderful doctors who helped make the day a success. Lisa Chipps, MD volunteered her morning while Meiling Fang, MD and Sree Karukonda, MD wrapped up the event in the afternoon. Over the course of the event, 25 participants were screened, detecting 17 suspicious lesions and 1 potential melanoma.

August 19, Redondo Beach, CA: Beachside Skin Exams for Sun Worshippers

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:17:39 GMT

The Road to Healthy Skin Tour made a stop at the Rite Aid store in Redondo Beach, CA. The store was situated only a few blocks from the ocean, which helped bring a lot of sun worshipers to the RV to check out the event and get screened. Susan Goodlerner, MD, volunteered 3 hours of her afternoon to provide 27 screenings, detecting 7 suspicious findings. Now off to Torrance, CA.

August 18, Santa Monica, CA: Great Location and Weather

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:17:22 GMT

The Tour had another great day in Santa Monica, CA. For the first time in Tour history, we parked adjacent to the famous 3rd Street Promenade on Santa Monica Boulevard. The 3rd Street Promenade is an outdoor shopping and dining destination where tourists and locals, alike, pass through as they navigate their way through the busy downtown Santa Monica area. We could not have asked for a better location or better weather for the event; it was sunny all day with highs reaching around 75 degrees.

Considering our location, we had a lot of foot traffic surrounding us, which resulted in more participants to be screened! "We drove from Riverside for this. I read about it in my Fitness magazine and my husband has some very scary moles,” said one visitor. With the help of Adriana Schmidt, MD, and Daniel Behroozan, MD, who volunteered a combined total of 5 hours, 70 patients were screened, finding 2 potential skin cancers and 13 potential precancerous lesions. We must say, it was a great day in Santa Monica!

August 17, Santa Monica, CA: Weather Report Brought Visitors

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:17:01 GMT

Early this morning, the Tour made a visit to the local CBS station, KCAL9, to tape a segment that aired during the morning weather news. Lisa Chipps, MD, met us at the studio to do a live interview inside and outside the RV and was even recorded screening a patient.

Right after the taping, we headed over to the Rite Aid on Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica to meet Delphine Lee, MD, who volunteered her time for the 2-hour event. The news provided great coverage and acted as a promotional tool, as most of the participants came after they saw the segment that morning. Dr. Lee provided free skin cancer screenings to 26 participants and detected 11 suspicious lesions. "I am so glad I volunteered. I can't wait to do it again and perhaps for a little longer next year!" said Dr. Lee. As always, visitors to the RV appreciated the Aveeno samples and coupons as well as complimentary issues of Fitness magazine.

August 16, Los Angeles, CA: Hollywood Screenings

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:16:40 GMT

The Tour made its stop at the Rite Aid off of N. Vermont Avenue, near Hollywood, in Los Angeles, CA today. Awaiting our arrival were Erma Benetiz, MD, and her nurse, Carla, who were eager and ready to provide some free skin cancer screenings to the public. Over the course of the 2-hour event, the duo was able to screen 17 participants and detect 10 suspicious lesions.

August 14, Calabasas, CA: Community Outreach

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:16:15 GMT

The Tour made a stop at the Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center today. The center is a public facility nestled in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains and offers a wide range of activities for the people in the community. Several aerobic classes as well as a children’s summer camp took place during our visit.

Debra Luftman, MD, a local dermatologist, volunteered her morning to provide free screenings to 25 participants. Over the course of the 3-hour event, Dr. Luftman was able to find 15 suspicious lesions.

August 11, San Ramon, CA: Another Great Day in California!

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:15:58 GMT

It was a short 2-hour event held at the Rite Aid in San Ramon, CA. We are grateful to Shanny Baughman, MD for volunteering her time for a second day this week. She provided 23 screenings to the public today. The majority of the people who stopped by were people who had missed their chance at a screening at the event in Walnut Creek. We were happy they came back and were able to be screened this time around. One visitor said, "I read about the Tour in Fitness magazine. I have been following you all year, waiting for my chance at a free screening!" Overall, Dr. Baughman detected 27 suspicious lesions with 11 of them being potentially cancerous. Dr. Baughman told us, "I am always willing to help out with the Tour. I think it is a great thing and I really have a lot of fun volunteering!"

August 9, San Francisco Airport: Time Flies When You’re Having Fun

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:15:37 GMT

The San Francisco Airport welcomed the Road to Healthy Skin Tour back for another year, which has proven to get bigger and better each visit. This year, Jennifer Boldrick, MD, Karen Han, MD, William Chow, DO, and Alice Do, DO were onsite to provide the free skin cancer screenings. With the airport being such a busy place, we were greeted by a diverse group of people, even the director of the airport came out to show his support and get a screening himself!

Donna Potts, from the Health and Safety Department, coordinated the entire event and she and her wonderful staff made the day one of the best on the Tour this year! Her staff helped set up tables, canopies, and chairs, as well as escort each individual doctor to the event. They also provided fruit for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch. A big thank you to the San Francisco Airport for making it such a wonderful day and event. We hope to come back next year!