Ironman champion, star chef support battle against melanoma

27 February 2013

Melanoma March 2014
Ironman champion and star chef pledge support towards battle against melanoma

To kick off Melanoma March 2014, the Melanoma Foundation of New Zealand is proud to announce the support of Ironman athlete Cameron Brown and Michelin-star Chef and MasterChef judge, Josh Emett as official ambassadors to the not-for-profit organisation.

These two personalities are passionate about promoting awareness of melanoma in New Zealand and will support the Foundation’s theme for Melanoma March 2014 ‘Know the skin you are in’ – a call to action to Kiwis to be aware of any changes or unusual moles on their skin, and to get them checked out .

10-time Ironman champion Cameron Brown will compete in Saturday’s 30th IRONMAN New Zealand event in Taupo and no doubt, he’ll be piling on the sun-screen. The organisation recently announced that it is backing the Melanoma Foundation of New Zealand as its official charity for the next three years.

“As an IRONMAN athlete, I’m out in the sun, every day, for many hours – melanoma is a huge reality for me, and other athletes like me.

“The time it takes to apply sunscreen, won’t make me swim faster, or be more aerodynamic, or improve my performance, but it could save my life. If I don’t look after my skin, I know exactly where and how I could end up,” explains Cameron.

Click here to listen to Cameron Brown’s message about melanoma.

For acclaimed Michelin-star Chef, MasterChef Judge and now Melanoma Foundation Ambassador, Josh Emett, the cause is held very close to his heart.

“I lost my father to melanoma three years ago. It was a harrowing experience for me and my family and one that could have been prevented through greater care in the sun. We miss him every day of our lives,” says the Kiwi chef from Hamilton.

“My greatest wish is to help the Melanoma Foundation in its charity work by bringing attention to the causes and effects of melanoma, to help prevent future cases of a cancer that is currently claiming the lives of more than 300 New Zealanders each year – young and old.”

Melanoma Foundation CEO Linda Flay says knowing your skin is key.

“That’s how we can detect change and catch melanomas early – through routine and regular self-checking.”

Statistics from the Ministry of Health cancer registry 2010 show that more than 300 people died of melanoma in New Zealand each year– that’s more than the annual road toll.

“We are very pleased to have the support of Cameron and Josh this year – their passion and dedication to the cause, and their involvement in events associated with the Foundation will go a long way in helping us get our message around melanoma awareness out there,” says Linda.

Look out for the Melanoma Foundation at a number of events this year:
• 28 February: IRONMAN New Zealand Women’s Breakfast – supported by the Melanoma Foundation, Taupo
• 1 March: IRONMAN New Zealand, Taupo
• 9-15 March: Ski-nZ race, South Island
• 28 March: Annual ‘Go Spotty’ Day in NZ schools and workplaces
• Awareness activities at medical practices round New Zealand.

Cameron Brown
Cameron Brown is an ironman triathlete from New Zealand. He is a ten-time winner of Ironman New Zealand (2001–2005, 2007–2011) held in Taupo, New Zealand. His best placing at the Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Kona, Hawaii is 2nd in 2001 and 2005.

Josh Emett
Michelin-star Chef, MasterChef Judge, and Melanoma Foundation Ambassador Josh Emett was brought up on a farm outside Hamilton in New Zealand, and discovered cooking and his love of food at a young age. A typical active farm boy found him always hungry and was encouraged to cook something rather than complain.

He trained at Waikato Polytechnic in Hamilton and spent 18 months at Cin Cin on Quay in Auckland before heading overseas and achieving culinary success in Australia, London, France and New York. He has worked with a number of acclaimed Chefs, notably Gordon Ramsey, Steven Terry and Donovan Cooke. In 2001, he achieved Michelin star status at the Savoy Grill, London, as Head Chef and alongside Chef Patron Marcus Wareing.

Following on from his successful restaurant openings overseas, Josh Emett opened his first New Zealand restaurant in Queenstown with business partner and restaurateur, Fleur Caulton, in May 2012. That year he also launched Chefs series, a restaurant-quality, slow-cooked gourmet supermarket range available throughout New Zealand.

2013 was a huge year for Josh, with the growth of his Chefs Series, the release of his first cookbook – Cut – which reflects his zero waste philosophy, the opening of Ostro restaurant in Auckland’s Britomart precinct, and also the opening of his second Queenstown restaurant - Madam Woo –with Fleur Caulton.

Josh is also a judge on MasterChef New Zealand. At the end of 2013 filming for the 5th season of MasterChef New Zealand wrapped up and the series premiered on the 2nd of February 2014.

Key melanoma facts
• Melanoma is the most serious kind of skin cancer and New Zealand has the highest incidence rate in the world with more than 300 Kiwis losing their lives to the disease each year. In comparison, we’ve had only 254 deaths on our roads in 2013.
• More than 4000 cases of melanoma get diagnosed in NZ each year.
• While you’re more at risk if you’re over 50, with 70 per cent of melanoma cases occurring in people over 50 years old, younger people still do get affected.
• It is the leading cancer registration in men aged 25-44 and the 2nd for women of the same age group
• To prevent Melanoma, we need to ‘know the skin we are in’ in and protect it from the sun.
• Early, routine and regular self-checking is the vital step to detecting melanoma - it’s never too early to start checking your skin
• Don’t become another statistic – check your skin regularly and go see a doctor immediately if you notice a change because spotting the signs early could save your life.
• If it is detected early and it’s thin, melanoma can easily be treated with surgery.
• Melanoma does not discriminate – it can affect anyone, anywhere.
• Respect the sun - don’t become another statistic

About the Melanoma Foundation of New Zealand
The Melanoma Foundation of New Zealand is a not-for-profit organisation supported by 10 trustees with a common purpose – to dramatically reduce the incidence of melanoma in New Zealand through excellence in the awareness, education, prevention, treatment and research of the disease.

melanoma.org.nz // facebook.com/melanomaFoundationNZ // twitter.com/melanoma_NZ

ENDS

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