Washington, D.C. Community Combats Melanoma at 7th Annual Wings of Hope Gala

Washington, D.C. – On Saturday, November 7th, the Washington, D.C. melanoma community will come together to honor those who have been impacted by melanoma and raise funds to support the search for new and better treatment options at the 7th annual DC Wings of Hope gala. Researchers have made tremendous progress toward finding new and better treatment options for people with advanced melanoma, but there is much more to be done to drive breakthroughs that can help all people facing this cancer live longer and better lives. 

 

The DC Wings of Hope gala is expected to bring together hundreds of people dedicated to raising awareness and critically-needed funding for new, effective treatments for melanoma. Attendees will gather at the Trump National Golf Club in Potomac Falls, Virginia, to enjoy an exciting evening of music, dancing, gourmet food and drink, and bid on high-end auction items. 

 

Gala co-chairs, Chad MacDonald, founder of the Brenda MacDonald Melanoma Research Foundation in 2005, and William G. Reilly, the director of the Champion Way Foundation, continue the tradition of hosting this important event since it first began in 2008.

 

“The melanoma community is thrilled several new treatments have been approved by the FDA within the past year, but these advances have not yet yielded a solution for everyone fighting this cancer,” said Tim Turnham, executive director of the MRF. “The DC Wings of Hope gala is a tremendous opportunity for our community to rally and help support the development of new and better treatments that people facing a melanoma diagnosis so urgently need.”

 

This year’s event sponsors include: Rosenthal Auto, Champion Title, Chicago Title Insurance, Keller Williams Realty, The Wiltse Family Foundation, Washington First Bank, Brookfield Homes, Eagle Bank Residential Lending, First American Title Insurance Company, Maximus Foundation, Northwestern Mutual, Roche, Champion Way Foundation, The Brenda MacDonald Melanoma Research Foundation and many other local business. 

 

Don’t miss your opportunity to honor the melanoma community and join the fight against melanoma at this exciting event! To purchase tickets, visit: https://dcwingsofhope.com/.  

 

 

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Melanoma is one of the fastest growing cancers in the United States and can strike men and women of all ages, races and skin types. With a one in 50 lifetime risk of developing melanoma, nearly 74,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed with Stage I-IV melanoma and another 63,000 will be diagnosed with melanoma in situ – totaling nearly 137,000 total diagnoses. Melanoma is the most common form of cancer for young adults 25- to 29-years-old and the second most common cancer in adolescents and young adults 15- to 29-years-old. 

 

The majority of melanomas occur on the skin; in fact, melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer. Melanoma can also occur in the eye (ocular, or uveal melanoma), in mucous membranes (mucosal melanoma), or even beneath fingernails or toenails. 

 

The Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) is the largest independent organization devoted to melanoma. Committed to the support of medical research in finding effective treatments and eventually a cure for melanoma, the MRF also educates patients and physicians about prevention, diagnosis and the treatment of melanoma. The MRF is an active advocate for the melanoma community, helping to raise awareness of this disease and the need for a cure. The MRF’s website is the premier source for melanoma information seekers. More information is available at www.melaresearcstg.wpengine.com. Find the MRF on Facebook and Twitter.