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A Pinecrest family is channeling profound personal tragedy into a life-saving community mission, raising vital awareness about the dangers of melanoma skin cancer.
Marilu and Herman Chavez, Pinecrest residents, founded Miggy’s Gift after losing their son, Stephen “Miggy” Chavez, to stage 1 melanoma that metastasized in 2017. He was 29 years old.
“I decided that my son was going to be remembered as a hero and his death was not going to be in vain, and we were going to educate other families, so they don’t have to live this nightmare,” said Marilu Chavez, founder of Miggy’s Gift.
In response, Chavez and her husband created Miggy’s Gift, a nonprofit organization dedicated to melanoma prevention and awareness. The group also provides emotional and financial support to pediatric cancer patients and their families.
“Sun safety needs to be as important as eye and dental health,” Chavez said. “Ninety percent of skin cancers are preventable, and one out of every five Americans is going to be diagnosed with skin cancer.”
On Nov. 9, the organization will host its seventh annual Miggy’s Gift Melanoma Walk from 8:30 a.m. to noon at Evelyn Greer Park, with a special focus on young families and promoting skincare at an early age. The event will feature free skin spot checks from Baptist Hospital, and the Nicklaus Dermatology team will be on-site.
“I pitched it to the Village of Pinecrest Parks & Recreation, and they said this would work perfectly with their health initiatives,” Chavez said. “Pinecrest is home for us, so I’m glad we can do Miggy’s Walk here.”
“The Chavez family’s work to turn such a deep loss into a positive, life-saving mission for others is truly inspiring,” said Robert Mattes, Pinecrest’s Director of Parks and Recreation. “Pinecrest Parks and Recreation saw a great opportunity that aligns with its mission to provide exceptional services to the community so it sought to partner with Miggy’s Gift to share awareness and education about how people can reduce exposure to harmful UV while enjoying the many beautiful parks in Pinecrest. It’s a privilege for us to partner with Miggy’s Gift to share this vital community education.”
For more information on the organization’s mission visit miggysgift.org or to register for the upcoming event visit: https://bit.ly/miggyswalk.
