Jack's Story

It started with a little “warpaint.” And a big love for his athletes and the people around him.

Jack Dalton was 26 years old — a ski racing coach, an athlete, a competitor, and part of a community that loved to show up, work hard, and go for it. On race days, Jack had a tradition: he wore “warpaint.” It was part of who he was, a mark adapted from the NFL teams he loved that meant it was time to get ready, dig in, and give it everything he had.

About a year before metastatic melanoma took Jack's life, Jack noticed a "spot" on his shoulder. He mentioned it to a few people and was told to "watch it." He didn't see a doctor and eventually forgot all about it. A few months later, Jack developed back and hip pain. Not putting the two signs together, he saw a chiropractor, completely unaware that the pain in his back was from the melanoma, which had started as the little spot on his shoulder, now reaching advanced stages and taking hold throughout his body. Throughout the remainder of the year, Jack noticed pain under his arm, which he attributed to a bruised muscle from coaching activities, carrying ski gates and so on and then a rash on his shoulder that he thought became infected. In fact, it was advanced melanoma. By the time Jack was hospitalized, his cancer was stage four and had metastasized. It was too advanced at that point for him to recover.

At that age, you're thinking about work, friends, relationships, adventure, competition, and finding your path to the future you want. You're young, active, and your body has always just kept doing what it's supposed to. A changing spot on your shoulder doesn't make it to the top of your danger list. Jack was healthy. He was athletic. He had a lot of life to live. Cancer wasn't something he expected to be dealing with.

Jack was at the age when he could have taken care of himself.

Clearly, Jack didn't know what questions to ask, what to do, who to see, how to see them, or that something so ordinary-looking could be serious.

Jack's story is why we're here.

WarPaint4Jack was created because knowing something is there isn't always enough, you must know what to do next. We want young adults to know their skin, notice changes, understand when something deserves a closer look, and know where to go, what to ask, and how to take action for their own health and wellbeing. Not because we want them living worried about cancer; it’s quite the opposite. We want them to live their lives, outside, on the mountain, at the lake, on the field, at the beach, and everywhere in between, with the knowledge and confidence to take care of their health along the way.

Jack's warpaint was a symbol of strength, determination, and showing up for the fight! So, we're carrying it forward. WarPaint4Jack turns Jack's race-day tradition into a reminder to stay aware, be vigilant, take action, and fight skin cancer before it has the chance to win.

Sometimes a "spot" is just a spot, sometimes, it's not!!!

Know your skin. Notice the change. Ask the question. Speak up. Own your health, Follow through.

Wear the warpaint. Represent the cause and raise awareness for young adult skin health!