Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) and the Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) have joined forces with a new print public service announcement starring Academy Award® nominee Laura Linney. Headlined “Wear Your Beauty Brilliantly,” the PSA is designed to raise awareness about the life-saving benefits of protecting oneself from harmful exposure to UV rays that increase the risk of being diagnosed with melanoma and is the first element in a “Protect Your Skin” campaign. Mott 50 is proud to be partners with both the Melanoma Research Alliance and Stand Up 2 Cancer.
The deadliest of all skin cancers, melanoma is the fastest growing cancer globally and its incidence has tripled in the U.S. over the past three decades. Through the PSA, SU2C and MRA encourage people to look for changes in their skin and to speak to their dermatologists or health care providers about signs and risks. When caught early, the five year survival rate for melanoma is 92%.
Laura Linney, an SU2C celebrity ambassador, has helped shine a spotlight specifically on melanoma through her role on The Big C. In the series, her character “Cathy” is a Midwestern wife, mother, and public school teacher who is contending with Stage 4 melanoma. With an awareness of cancer from childhood, Linney is well-versed in the preventive measures one can take to reduce chances of a melanoma diagnosis. ”All it takes is a single reminder for a person to do a self-exam that could save his or her life. Melanoma and Breast Cancer can often be seen and felt, respectively, and the impact of open conversations about cancer and its prevention cannot be underestimated. So talk about Cancer. Communication can curtail cancer, so talk it up!” Linney said.
Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) — a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c) (3) charitable organization — raises funds to accelerate the pace of groundbreaking translational research that can get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives. SU2C facilitates collaboration among the best and the brightest in the cancer research community. By galvanizing the entertainment industry, SU2C generates awareness and builds grassroots support for this new approach to ending cancer.
The Melanoma Research Alliance is a public charity formed in 2007 under the auspices of the Milken Institute, with the generous founding support of Debra and Leon Black. MRA is the largest private funder of melanoma research. To date, MRA has awarded $38 million to 97 research programs to make transformative advances in the prevention, diagnosis, staging, and treatment of melanoma, including research in biological causes of carcinogenesis, skin screening, biomarkers, imaging, immunotherapy, molecularly targeted therapy, and combination therapy. MRA’s ultimate goal is to find a cure by funding the most promising melanoma research worldwide that will accelerate progress and improve outcomes for patients and all who are at risk for the disease.
