Meet Dr. David Abrutyn, Melanoma Survivor and MRF Awardee

Twelve years ago, Dr. David Abrutyn's wife, Danielle, noticed a mole on the back of his leg. He was initially assured by a dermatologist that it was benign and could just be watched. However, ten months later, while he was doing his sports medicine fellowship in California, he went to another dermatologist who biopsied it. It was melanoma.

David's doctor was unsure of the depth of his tumor, so he had a wide excision and inguinal lymph node dissection. Fortunately those results came back negative. As an orthopedic surgeon with Summit Medical Group, specializing in sports medicine, arthroscopy, shoulder and knee surgery, David knows the importance of taking care of your body. So, even though he had no evidence of further disease, he has continued to get his skin checked twice a year. He has not had another recurrence.

In 2009, David was honored at the Wings of Hope for Melanoma New York gala with the Courage Award after he and Danielle were introduced to the gala through a friend of the MRF's. They found it to be the perfect fit for them and they proceeded to chair the event to commemorate the 10th anniversary of David's diagnosis and subsequent successful removal.

This year marks the MRF's 20th Anniversary Celebration at the Wings of Hope for Melanoma New York gala and David and Danielle will again be in attendance. They will spend the evening of October 20th with hundreds of other melanoma advocates at this landmark event, paying tribute to innovators and champions in the melanoma community and celebrating the MRF's 20 years of investing in critical medical research, supporting melanoma patients and their families and advocating on behalf of the global melanoma community. 

David is optimistic that with continued collaboration and cooperation, the pharmacologic community will continue to discover better treatment options to continue to increase survival rates. Hopefully, by the time the MRF is holding their 40th Anniversary celebration, the cure will be a reality!

For more information about the MRF's 2016 Wings of Hope for Melanoma New York gala, Milestones and Miracles: Celebrating Two Decades of Ground-Breaking Medical Research, Awareness, Education and Advocacy, click here.