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Woman Battles Skin Cancer, Raises Money For Cure

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May 1, 2008 8:10 am US/Mountain

Woman Battles Skin Cancer, Raises Money For Cure

Reporting
Kathy Walsh
DENVER (CBS4) ― A Denver woman is organizing a fundraiser this weekend to help other people battling cancer after waging her own valiant fight against melanoma. She wants to help find a cure and help others learn how to prevent skin cancer.

Coloradans are especially affected by melanoma because of the amount of sunshine the state sees and its high altitude.

Marsha Gardenswartz noticed a blister on her jaw line in early 2005. The skin cancer had spread through her body and doctors said she probably had 9 months at most to live.

"And I simply looked at the doctor and told him that wasn't acceptable," Gardenswartz said.

She had eight surgeries, four in her brain, and endured 9 months of chemotherapy, radiation and two clinical trials to stay alive.

"It's a day at a time for her, so we just need to continue to treat her," said Dr. Karl Lewis of the University of Colorado Cancer Center. "She continues to fight and we'll just keep our fingers crossed for her."

Sunday, Gardenswartz's friends at Metafolics Salon are charging $100 for any hair service to raise money for cancer research at CU. That will be added to the $57,000 Gardenswartz has collected to research skin cancer and raise awareness.

Two dermatologists will also be at the fundraiser Sunday to check people for signs of skin cancer.

Doctors said if melanoma is not caught early, only 5 percent of people with the disease survive.

Additional Resources:

If people would like to donate, they can do so on the CU Foundation Web site, www.cufund.org. Click 'Give Online' and then select the health sciences campus, then University of Colorado Cancer Center and indicate "melanoma research" in the notes section. To send a check donation, make the check out to the CU Foundation and indicate "melanoma cancer research" in the subject line. Checks can be sent to: CU Foundation, Gift Processing, P.O. Box 17126, Denver, CO 80217.

(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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