March in memory of Mikayla

RAISING awareness around skin cancer and paying tribute to her daughter has been the driving force for Sharyn Dorey running the Ballina Melanoma March.

Her daughter, Mikayla Green, was just 24 when she passed away from melanoma in 2022.

Since then, Dorey has been at the forefront of the campaign with the march raising almost $20,000 for cancer research in its first two years.

It event will be held on Sunday, March 9 and will comprise a 4.4km walk from Missingham Bridge to North Wall and back.

Ms Dorey said her family and extended group of friends help keep her daughter’s memory alive.

“It was a shock and something you never prepare for,” Ms Dorey said.

“It doesn’t just affect our family; it was all her friends as well.

“Her group had to watch her go through it, they would have thought she would have been around forever, too.”

The Melanoma Institute Australia runs a national campaign with marches across the country.

This year, all funds raised will go towards the updating and clinical promotion of the National Melanoma Clinical Guidelines.

It also aims to shine a spotlight on the dangers of tanning, with melanoma the most common cancer affecting Australians aged between 20 and 39.

“Some of the skin doctors come out and walk; we’ve been around to most of the clinics around the region to promote it this year,” Ms Dorey said.

“Mikayla had friends in Coffs Harbour and some in Canberra who have been part of the march.

“We’re going down to Canberra to be part of a march there this year, too.”

Local resident Neil Eichorn will also be part of the Ballina march.

He was diagnosed with stage four melanoma three years ago and underwent immunotherapy.

He is now in the clear with regular six-month scans.

“I know how crucial early detection and prevention are, especially after a lifetime spent in the sun playing cricket and surfing without proper protection,” he said.

“Skin cancer was not a disease we knew or understood in my generation.”

The march will start at 7.30am with a coffee van and barbecue organised by Ballina on Richmond Rotary Club.

People can register for the event at ballina.melanomamarch.org.au