Cade Lucas
He mightn’t be well enough to live up to the name this year, but Point Cook’s Jeff Butcher is still determined to raise money for skin cancer treatment and research during this year’s Melanoma March.
The 44 year old father of three was diagnosed with stage four melanoma in 2019 and has participated in the march every March since, which as the name suggests, involves walking to raise money.
But with Mr Butcher currently in hospital, where he has spent six of the last 12 months, his family have taken this year’s Melanoma March fundraising efforts online.
“We’ve created our own fundraising page in honour of Jeff,” said his partner Christine Toon.
“We’re not able to physically do a march and this is the next best option.”
While not marching physically, all money donated to Jeff Butcher’s page will still go to the Melanoma Institute Australia to fund treatment and research into the nation’s most common cancer for people aged 18 to 40.
It’s a statistical reality that Ms Toon knows all too well.
“Jeff’s 44 years old and was diagnosed at 40 with stage 4 and that’s where the statistics come in I suppose,” she said.
“It’s a young persons cancer and early intervention is critical for saving lives.”
Along with fundraising, encouraging people to get their skin checked so any intervention can happen as early as possible, is something the Butcher family have taken up since their own experience with melanoma began.
“We tell all our friends and anyone who will listen, to book in for skin checks,” said Ms Toon.
“We’ve had friends and family who’ve been able to identify early signs of skin cancer because we told them to go get a skin check.”
While Jeff Butcher is fundraising online, those wanting to do the actual march still have plenty of opportunities.
Among them is one of the major Melanoma March events on Saturday March 23 around the Tan track in the Kings Domain.
Numerous smaller marches are also being held between now and the end of the month, with the ultimate goal of raising more than $1 million, a target that is already more than halfway to being reached.
Whatever the final amount, Ms Toon said every dollar raised for the Melanoma Institute Australia was vital, especially to her partner Jeff.
“He’s hellbent on making sure that no other family goes through this.”
To donate to Jeff Butcher’s Melanoma March visit: surl.li/ronhv
