At least it’s just skin cancer...

It’s a phrase Annie Powell hears all too often when talking about the disfiguring disease. Annie is a licensed massage therapist and President of The World Skin Project, a non-profit organization devoted to raising skin cancer awareness. At thirty-four, she seems to be the perfect picture of health. What many people don’t know is that for Annie, each day is battle…a battle against melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. She was diagnosed with the disease at a young age. Like millions of others, Annie once had the pre-conceived notion that it was “just” skin cancer.

At age 16, Annie Powell had her first visit to the dermatologist for a skin exam, since her fair-skinned, light-eyed Irish heritage put her at a greater risk of getting skin cancer. She had several dysplastic nevi, or irregular moles, removed as a precautionary measure. Annie’s diagnosis became more serious when her dermatologist removed a malignant melanoma from her back just four years later. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, approximately one person dies from malignant melanoma every hour. Yet, when it is found and treated at an early stage, more often than not patients can be cured. Powell felt she had nothing to worry about, “It started when I was young. I thought I’d just have them removed and that was the end of it.”

Six years later, Annie was completing her externship at Connecticut Center for Massage Therapy. Her instructor, Scott Raymond, detected a suspicious mole on her back that she otherwise would not have seen. Scott had been educated about skin cancer and made her aware of the skin abnormality. Annie’s dermatologist diagnosed her with Stage III malignant melanoma and took swift action.

“It was something that could have killed me. It took three procedures to remove the entire melanoma. It was really close to my vital organs, close to where it could have spread to my lungs. I became aware of it just in time to deal with it on a more serious level for the rest of my life,” Annie explains, “and although I had skin cancer prior to that, it really sparked an awareness in me.”

A massage therapist saved Annie Powell’s life – and from this, she realized that educating massage therapists and body-workers about the detection and prevention of skin cancer could prevent more unnecessary deaths… and The World Skin Project was born.

The World Skin Project is the only self-sustaining international 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion skin cancer awareness with a focus on education for massage therapists, massage therapy students and other body-work professionals around the globe.

The World Skin Project uses a unique, physician approved curriculum to conduct dynamic, interactive workshops to educate massage therapists, spa, and skin-care professionals internationally to reduce the occurrence of skin cancer through the promotion of early detection, prevention and awareness.

Two hundred disfiguring scars and nearly fifteen malignant melanomas later, Annie Powell has dedicated her life to this project. “I want every massage therapist, every body-worker and every member of the general public to have a heightened awareness about the dangers of skin cancer. When my massage therapist made me aware, I realized this is what massage therapists should be doing.”

Everyday, Annie Powell finds herself showing her scars and telling her story to anyone who will listen, hoping one day the world will realize that it’s more than “just skin cancer”.

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