Celebrity Interview

TROY AIKMAN, pro-football legend, Hall-of-Famer and a former melanoma patient. For Troy Aikman, knowing his opponent has always been a key factor in defining a winning play on the football field. When diagnosed with stage II melanoma, he was alarmed because it was an opponent he knew nothing about. Now, he is encouraging advanced melanoma patients to “mark their opponent” and better understand their disease as part of a new initiative, “Melanoma Just Got Personal.”

Troy was raised in Southern California spending his days outside. But until 1998, his skin was not something that he thought he needed to worry about. After noticing a suspicious spot on his back, he consulted with his sisters who are both nurses. They encouraged him to ask his doctor to check it out during his next appointment. A biopsy confirmed that the spot was malignant and Troy was diagnosed with stage II melanoma, a form of skin cancer.

Troy Aikman discusses with us his involvement with his melanoma awareness campaign:

“The goal is to bring awareness to those that are in a fight for their life with advanced melanoma or those that know someone who is. What a lot of people don’t know and what I didn’t know is that there’s more than one form of advanced melanoma. So it is important to know what form of advanced melanoma you have so you can be properly treated. That’s the real key. I’ve met some melanoma patients who are in the advanced melanoma stages, who have gone out and found out what form of advanced melanoma they have. It’s made a big difference in their life, and their quality of life, and their continued fight against skin cancer. I’ve encouraged everybody who has heard me speak in this campaign to melanomajustgotpersonal.com. There’s a lot of information there and it answers a lot of questions. It helps people navigate some pretty muddy waters. Through this awareness campaign, whether it is you or someone you know that is in a current fight with advanced melanoma that you’re going to be sent in the right direction, receive the proper treatment, and as a result, live will be saved. I’m proud to be a part of it.”

The diagnosis of cancer was like being sacked on his blind side from an opponent he never saw coming. He didn’t know much about the disease, but he knew it could be deadly. Fortunately, Troy’s melanoma was caught early, before it spread (metastasized). His doctor was able to successfully remove the melanoma surgically. Troy says that fighting cancer was tougher than any opponent he faced on the field, but recognizes it was nothing compared to those battling advanced melanoma.

Melanoma can vary from person to person because of changes in your genes. In fact, there are more genetic changes, or mutations, in melanoma than any other cancer.  Understanding these genetic changes can help patients – with their physicians – determine the most appropriate treatment course.   About 73,000 people in the US are newly diagnosed with melanoma annually, but if the disease becomes advanced (known as unresectable or metastatic melanoma), it’s difficult to treat and can be fatal. Only about 20% of people will survive for at least 5 years following a diagnosis of late-stage disease.

ABOUT TROY AIKMAN:

A three-time Super Bowl Champion and Super Bowl MVP, Troy Aikman is one of the most decorated quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. The number one overall draft pick in 1989, Troy played twelve consecutive seasons as quarterback with the Dallas Cowboys. During his playing career, he set 45 Cowboys’ passing records, including the club’s career record for completions (2,898), passing yards (32,942), touchdowns (165) and completion percentage (61.3). Prior to joining the Cowboys, Troy passed for 5,298 yards and 41 touchdowns in two years at UCLA. He was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006 and College Football Hall of Fame in 2009.

After retiring from professional football following the 2000 season, Troy joined the NFL on FOX as a game analyst in 2001. He quickly moved up to the number one broadcast crew alongside Emmy Award-winning partner Joe Buck prior to the 2002 season. He has earned three nominations for an Emmy for his broadcasting efforts and has broadcast four Super Bowls (XXXIX, XLII, XLV, and XLVIII).

Troy resides in Dallas, Texas and has three daughters, Rachel, Jordan and Ally.

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