My name is James Caleb Runyon, and for the past year, I've worked as a nurse practitioner in dermatology. You wouldn't believe how often patients would come to me, saying, "my hairdresser told me to have this lesion checked out." And shockingly, nine out of ten times, those lesions turned out to be malignant. I honestly hadn't given much thought to the incredible impact hairdressers could have on the early detection of skin cancer—until February, 2025. That's when I received the heartbreaking news: one of my favorite people in this world, my Papaw, was diagnosed with Stage 4 Melanoma.

My Papaw is a 76-year-old Southern West Virginian man. He despises going to the doctor's office, but he would never miss his monthly haircut. That's just how men of his generation are. As I tried to process this devastating news, I wasn't sure where to channel my anger, frustration, sadness, and heartache. I kept working, just like always, and one day, it clicked.

What if the very hairdresser or barber my Papaw saw every month could have noticed that melanoma on his neck before it spread to Stage 4?

It was in that moment that I realized exactly where to concentrate my feelings: on an initiative to educate hairdressers about changes that might indicate skin cancer. From this realization, the Hairdresser Dermatologic Detection Initiative (HDDI) was born. I poured my energy into creating flyers and distributing them to salons throughout my region. I even developed a survey to assess hairdressers' knowledge of skin cancer.

The HDDI gained significant recognition and momentum, but then I started speaking with members of other personal care professions: manicurists, tattoo artists, piercers, massage therapists, boutique owners, and even fashion designers. They all started asking, "What about my profession?" And so, with a broader vision and an even deeper purpose, The Closer Look Project came to life.