No One Is Invincible: A Call for Proactive Skin Cancer Screening

This Pride Month, CJ Weiss is sharing a message that reaches far beyond his own cancer story: no one is too young, too healthy, or too invincible to take screening seriously. Mr. Weiss—a melanoma survivor, husband, father, fitness coach, and advocate—is using his experience to encourage others, especially men and LGBTQ+ individuals, to pay attention to their bodies, seek regular skin checks, and lean on community support.

A Diagnosis That Changed Everything 

In 2018, Mr. Weiss was preparing for a long-anticipated vacation to Spain with his husband when a spot on his thigh, something he had initially dismissed as a bug bite, turned into something far more serious. Over the course of just a few months, it grew larger and began to bleed. A biopsy confirmed melanoma.

At the time, Mr. Weiss was only 38 and had never been to a dermatologist. “I never really thought I needed it,” he said. Like many people, he assumed skin cancer was something that older adults had to worry about later in life. Instead, doctors told him he could not delay treatment—not even for a vacation. “Mr. Weiss, this is one of the most serious skin cancers alive,” they told him. The diagnosis forced him to confront a reality he had never imagined for himself. “When you hear that when you’re 38, you’re like, ‘but I’m invincible. I’m in shape. I work out. I do all the right things’.”

That sense of invincibility was shattered when testing revealed that the cancer had already spread to a lymph node in his groin. He described just how narrow the window had been: “It was lucky that I skipped vacation. Two weeks later, it could have spread to the liver or a kidney, and that would have literally been deadly.”

The Long Shadow of Cancer

Mr. Weiss underwent emergency surgery, followed by infusion therapy and five years of intensive surveillance with CT scans and ultrasounds. Although he considers himself fortunate that he did not require chemotherapy, the physical and emotional burden was still enormous.

He carries a large scar on his thigh from the surgery, calling it “a reminder of what could have been.” But the impact of cancer extended beyond the operating room and infusion chair.

As he put it, “when people talk about the impact of cancer, it’s debilitating from not only a medical standpoint, but also a finance standpoint. It will stop you in your tracts, because you literally don’t have a choice.” His experience underscores an important truth for survivors: treatment may end, but cancer’s effects continue for years—physically, emotionally, and financially.

Cancer, Masculinity, and LGBTQ+ Health

One of the most powerful parts of Mr. Weiss’s story is the way he connects his diagnosis to broader issues of masculinity and healthcare access. “It’s always them,” he said of the way many people think about cancer before it happens personally. “That’s who I used to think got cancer.”

He believes men, in particular, are often conditioned to ignore vulnerability. “Men just tend to have a little bit more ego that we are invincible,” he said. For LGBTQ+ people, that pressure can be compounded by stigma and negative experiences in healthcare settings. Mr. Weiss spoke candidly about how hard it can be for gay men to trust medical providers, explaining, “You just don’t know who’s going to treat you like a human.” That reality, he said, remains deeply relevant today. “The fight is real.”

The Power of Support and Advocacy

Throughout treatment, Mr. Weiss relied on a strong network of support from his husband, family, and coworkers. That support helped sustain his naturally optimistic mindset, but he is quick to note that not everyone has that same foundation.

“I think that’s the takeaway. I had support systems. If you don’t, we have to help you find them,” he said. “That is part of our job as other survivors, as other LGBTQ community members—we need to help support each other and back each other up.”

That commitment to helping others led Mr. Weiss to advocacy work with the American Cancer Society and other awareness efforts, including Philadelphia’s Real Men Wear Pink campaign. Whether through interviews, races, or public storytelling, his goal is simple: “It’s creating that awareness.”

A Pride Month Reminder to Protect Yourself 

Mr. Weiss’s advice on screening is practical and urgent: “Start sooner rather than later.” He now sees a dermatologist every six months and wants others to know that skin checks are quick, accessible, and potentially lifesaving.

His Pride Month message is especially timely. “A lot of us are going to be out in the sun, going to parades, doing all the things,” he said. “So protect your body, protect your skin, and protect your loved ones.”

In sharing his story, Mr. Weiss hopes it reaches someone who needs to hear it. “Hopefully, we spread the word and we help at least one person. One person makes a big difference.”

Key Takeaways

• Melanoma can progress quickly, even in younger, healthy people.

• Early detection matters: annual skin checks can be fast and lifesaving.

• The myth that “it happens to other people” can delay diagnosis and treatment.

• LGBTQ+ individuals may face added barriers in healthcare and need affirming support.

• Community matters: support systems can play a vital role during and after cancer treatment.

• Pride Month is also a reminder to protect your skin, advocate for your health, and encourage others to do the same.

About the Speaker

CJ Weiss is a melanoma survivor, husband, father, fitness coach, and advocate who is passionate about sharing the message that cancer does not discriminate by age, appearance, or lifestyle. After being diagnosed with stage IV melanoma at age 38, he underwent emergency surgery followed by four months of immunotherapy and five years of intensive surveillance. Today, he uses his experience to challenge the myth of invincibility and encourage people—particularly men and LGBTQ+ individuals—to get annual skin checks and take screening seriously.