Ellen and Jim King make a life-saving gift

A visit to the hairdresser changed Ellen King’s life. In fact, it probably saved it. During her appointment, Ellen’s hairdresser noticed a worrisome spot on her scalp and encouraged Ellen to get it checked by a doctor. Ellen followed her advice but struggled to find care and get the right diagnosis. Eventually, she learned it was melanoma and needed surgery to remove it. “If my hairdresser wasn’t so aware, I might not be here. I’m so thankful for her,” says Ellen.  

The experience heightened her awareness not only of the prevalence of skin cancer, but also the significant shortage of board-certified dermatologists in New Mexico. The state has about 45 board-certified dermatologists serving more than two million residents living in a land known for its sunny climate.  

Since her diagnosis, Ellen and her husband Jim have continued to see how skin cancer impacts the lives of people around them. They are the former owners of Bradbury Stamm, one of the largest general contractors in the Southwest. Working in the sun is part of the job when you’re in the building business, and the Kings lost friends and employees to melanoma contracted after years of sun exposure.  

“This disease is insidious,” says Ellen. “People know about it because they worry about wrinkles, but they don’t pay as much attention to the medical side of it.” She also points to the fact that many people with darker pigmented skin may think they aren’t susceptible to skin cancer, but that’s not true. Anyone can get skin cancer.   

The King’s personal experiences with skin cancer spurred them to help solve the problem. “Fundamentally, my interest is in raising skin cancer awareness in New Mexico,” says Ellen. Recently the Kings established the non-endowed King Fund for Dermatology with a gift of $2.5 million to the Presbyterian Healthcare Foundation. The purpose of the fund is to enhance and expand Presbyterian’s capacity to provide medical dermatology throughout New Mexico.  

The unrestricted gift may be used to recruit new dermatologists to the state, expand facilities and equipment and improve training. “Right now, it’s very difficult to get into a dermatologist in New Mexico,” she says. “So, it’s important to for us to expand outreach and train more clinicians to spot skin cancer, particularly in rural parts of the state.”  The Kings believe the more support for dermatology services in New Mexico the better, which is why they’ve also made financial gifts to support the University of New Mexico’s dermatology program .

Establishing the PHF King Fund for Dermatology extends Ellen and Jim’s long connection with Presbyterian. Ellen is from Corrales, her mother worked at Presbyterian, their daughters were born at Presbyterian Hospital and they’re Luminary Circle members. Their commitment to expanding dermatology services through their new fund will save lives throughout New Mexico.