Team Running for Gas 2015 is taking part in the Belfast City Marathon on behalf of Elijah to fundraise for Caring Matters Now.

Caring Matters Now is a UK charity for those affected by CMN. CMN stands for Congenital Melanocytic Naevus (or naevi), which is a brown or black mole present at birth. They can be very large, covering up to 80% of the body, and very numerous – up to hundreds in one individual. People with large or multiple CMN have an increased risk of malignant melanoma (a type of cancer) and brain problems, including tumours. 

At the moment, large or multiple CMN are untreatable. CMN can be shocking for other people to look at if they have never seen them before, causing distress and anxieties to those affected. CMN are often more fragile than normal skin and can therefore tear easily if traumatised. Melanoma stemming from this condition is at highest risk during childhood. Although melanoma is always an aggressive tumour, in children with CMN it is particularly aggressive and resistant to treatments. All cases of melanoma in CMN seen to date have proven fatal. 

Elijah was diagnosed at birth with CMN, but as the condition is so rare he did not receive the correct treatment.  With the help of Caring Matters Now Elijah attends Great Ormund Street hospital where he can receive the best treatment for his condition.  He is currently the only individual in  Northern Ireland CMN.  This funds raised from your donations will go towards research into why this condition appears in children and whether it is hereditary.  

With money raised we have recently found the cause of CMN. We now need to find the lifesaving treatments to prevent any more suffering.