Sawyer School of Business alumnus Sean Patrick Harrington will travel to Africa July 16 and climb 19,340 feet up Mt. Kilimanjaro as part of the inaugural Skin Cancer, Take a Hike campaign. Dr. Ellen Marmur, a New York City dermatologist, created the event, with a goal to raise $1 million dollars by the end of 2014 to fund Spot Skin Cancer.
This nationwide campaign through the American Academy of Dermatology is an initiative designed to lower the quickly rising rate of skin cancer, or melanoma, in the U.S.
“Just as our skin is under increased and constant attack from the environment, so too is Mt. Kilimanjaro, where the permanent snow cap will be gone, some say, by 2020,” Harrington says. “What better way to bring attention to a much-needed conversation about sustainability than to test my own body, skin and health with this rigorous and life-altering climb?”
The Skin Cancer, Take a Hike initiative intends to create the same impact for melanoma prevention that Susan G. Koman has done for breast cancer awareness, and a possible cure.
As creator of a skin care product line called “Previse,” which he founded in Provincetown, Harrington is passionate about protection from sun exposure.
“We need to shift the narrative about sun exposure. UV is radiation that damages our skin, the body’s largest organ. It’s critical that we take care of ourselves. I am climbing with nine others who are skin cancer survivors or people committed to the cause,” he said.
His passion for the skin care is a personal one. As a youth growing up in California, he suffered from chronic skin conditions. His mother was determined to find the right care for her son and found a dermatologist with a holistic point of view, not as common then as it is today. Through dietary changes, topical treatment and oral medications, Harrington’s skin was restored to full health. The experience left an indelible mark and shaped what his approach to life: eating well, taking care of his skin and treating local and global ecologies with great care.