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Neil Gaines life was turned upside down by a small mole
But 4 years later, hes going strong
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Neil and Margaret Gaines spend time with their newborn baby, Annie Kate. Neil Gaines was diagnosed with melanoma at age 23, just after he finished college. His melanoma research fundraiser, MelaNOMO, has raised more than $70,000 since 2008, the year he was diagnosed. This year, the goal is to raise $25,000 and more awareness.
Neil Gaines was a college graduate looking forward to beginning his career when an odd-shaped mole on his back changed everything. Gaines was diagnosed with stage 3a melanoma and began an on-and-off battle with cancer that would develop into stage 4 melanoma. "As you can imagine, it was pretty shocking to hear at age 23. ... I got hit with a curve ball pretty early in life," Gaines said.