Local Community Advertising
When the first signs of cancer appeared on the skin of Karen Wells' son Morgan Forshner it wasn't taken seriously enough.
He died in 2016.
But before he did, he agreed with his mother that she should start a campaign to spread the word.
"I lost Morgan to misdiagnosed melanoma. It happened very fast," said Wells.
"Before he passed we talked about doing this to try to raise awareness."
Forshner was 33 when he died.
Morgan's Mole Patrol rolled out in Kelowna in 2019 as a pilot project, but COVID got in the way.
Now it's back.
"Because I don't know how many young men know that a mole can kill you," said Wells, choking back her tears.
There are three dispensers in the community.
One can be found inside the Kelowna Visitor Centre on the waterfront, one is at Summerhill Pyramid Winery and a third is soon to be found at the Kelowna Golf and Country Club.
To pay to keep the dispensers full and possibly expand the program, Wells is looking for sponsors.
"And then we'll have their name on all the dispensers," she said.
Wells makes the point that it's not just about sunscreen.
"We should not rely on sunscreen alone," she said.
The message is in five parts.
Slip on a shirt, slop on some sunscreen, slap on a hat, seek shade, and slide on some sunglasses.
"We have to educate our children," added Wells, "to be sun safe."
Local Community Advertising