My mom, Rayna, was diagnosed with melanoma 10 years ago. She had three excisions to remove the cancer, each one bigger than the last as the doctors were increasingly cautious about the margins.

After the last excision, the doctors felt confident that with vigilant follow up she would be in the clear. So, she dutifully met with the doctors more often than they wanted...seeing them every six months instead of twelve over the course of the following five years. We finally exhaled when the doctors asserted that in the absence of any remaining indication of melanoma she was in the clear. To be cautious, every year she still met with her doctors to ensure that nothing new appeared to be anxious about.

During the Thanksgiving holiday of 2010, our family raised a glass and gave thanks that despite our stepfather suffering from ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), our mother maintained her ongoing clean bill of health. But, in a tragic twist she fell ill just days later -- her lungs filling with fluid -- and was diagnosed with Stage IV ("Metastatic") Melanoma.
We immediately consulted with four different melanoma specialists about aggressive treatment and finally decided upon working with the group at Memorial Sloan Kettering.
Unfortunately after three different drug therapies (CVT, Decarbazine and Yervoy), it is heartbreaking to report that my mother's cancer is overwhelming her body. The doctor's are giving her just enough time for us to maybe celebrate one more Thanksgiving together.

In her honor, our dear and beloved friends Amy and Mike Clulow are joining my wife, Janice, and I in running the Half and Full Philadelphia Marathon on Sunday, November 20th. I hope that I can call upon you to support us and help raise funds for research and awareness of melanoma. I feel very uncomfortable asking anyone for money, but if you've had the privilege of meeting my mom, you'll know that she is a very worthy cause. And if you never had the privilege of meeting her, I can tell you that she remains an incredibly loving, supportive, creative, funny, nurturing, bad singing, and mediocre cooking adored mother, sister, and friend to so many.

Donations of $300 or more will earn you a very sexy commemorative sweatshirt. Donations of $150 or more will earn you free lunch after the marathon...must to present to enjoy.

With love
Amy and Mike Clulow and Janice and Morgan Powell

P.S. This is a non-profit, so all donations are tax deductible if given through this website.