My name is Laura McEnroe. Five years ago, my youngest child was off to Kindergarten and I was turning 40. Life was going along very nicely.  In September, I started noticing signs up for the Run for Jack. I did not think much of them initially. Then when I was at my daughter’s soccer practice and friend and I were talking about the race. I mentioned I noticed a “spot” on my leg while shaving that I did not recall being so dark.

The signs prompted me to go in and get a full body skin check. I really don’t think I would have thought much about that spot had the signs for the race not been up.

I went in and the dermatologist was not overly concerned. But as I did not specifically recall it, she took a biopsy. When I came back to get out the stitches I was told I had a malignant melanoma, and needed to see a plastic surgeon to have additional tissue taken out. I now have a 2-inch scar on my leg but fortunately it had not spread further into the tissue and I only need to follow up every 6 months with my dermatologist. As I said, if it were not for the signs for the Run for Jack race, I don’t know when I would have gone in. I was fortunate that it was not more serious, but for countless others it is.

The Jack Marston fund is wonderful and needed organization and it truly shows that his death was not in vain. It has not only made myself more aware but countless others.