The Sheliah Lilly Foundation: Melanoma Advocacy

On September 25th, our mother, Sheliah Lilly, passed away and left the physical world. While she was taken from her family and friends too soon, we remember her as vibrant, caring, and consistently giving her time and resources to her community.  

In July 2019, Sheliah Lilly was diagnosed with Melanoma, a severe type of skin cancer. If detected earlier, Sheliah's prognosis would have been significantly improved. But unfortunately, a late-stage diagnosis is common for Black people living with skin cancer. 




We see an opportunity to create a lasting legacy for Sheliah and further her passion for volunteering, education, and healthy life choices. 

In her honor, her daughters are developing the Sheliah Lilly Foundation. 


The foundation will utilize community outreach to educate Black people about the risks and prevention of skin cancer and conduct advocacy for increased data and clinical detection of skin cancer in Black People.

 

 
Why is this critical:
*Skin cancers are less prevalent in nonwhite racial-ethnic groups (i.e., Black people). 
*When skin cancer is diagnosed, it tends to be diagnosed at a later stage for Black people and, as a result, they have a worse prognosis.
*The average five-year melanoma survival rate of only 67 percent in Black people versus 92 percent in white people (1)

While the foundation is in development, her daughters Rashida Bobb and Ayana Hosten ask for your contributions. 
Her daughter, Rashida Bobb, has a Master of Public Health degree from Yale University and has 15 years of professional experience in health disparity and educational programming, digital diagnosis, and healthcare business development.

We intend to use donations to form the 501c3, operational support, and development of additional fundraisers.

Please note your donations are not tax-exempt since the 501c3 certification is not complete as yet.

(1)Source: Published: Dermatology Nursing. 2009 Jul–Aug; 21(4): 170–178.