If you ask Milwaukee Bucks forward guard Charlie Bell why he cares about melanoma detection and prevention, he’ll tell you about losing his godfather to the disease 2½ years ago. Charlie will tell you it was devastating to watch him suffer. He’ll also tell you how quickly the disease can take a life. Charlie recalls a day spent golfing with his godfather and how, just six short months later, he was gone. This man he cared about and spent so much time with died because of a disease that, if detected early enough, might have been prevented.
Charlie wants to help raise awareness about melanoma. He wants to remind people that his experience, his godfather’s experience, can be avoided. He wants people to get checked for the disease and to look for the signs and symptoms. In his own words:
“I was affected and have seen firsthand what melanoma can do,” said Charlie. “I want people to be educated about detection and prevention. My godfather was sick from one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer. If caught early, it may be treatable, but a lot of people don’t hear about it often enough. They don’t know what to look for and don’t know they need to be checked. If that were the case with my godfather, someone near and dear to me would still be here today. I want to do this for him, for Jerry and his family.”
