Former Philadelphia Phillies third-baseman Mike Schmidt was at King of Prussia Mall, overseeing installation of sunscreen dispensers at the entrances/exits. The 6abc digital staff covered the appearance.

The free sunscreen is part of a public skin-cancer prevention-awareness campaign.

The issue is close to home for Schmidt; a 2013 biopsy revealed he had melanoma.

On his awareness-raising website, Schmidt wrote, “As a professional baseball player, I spent most of my life in the sun, mostly without sunscreen. As my career was reaching great heights, my skin was paying the price.”

He called that positive biopsy “a challenge tougher than any I ever had as an athlete.”

In its aftermath, he has made skin-cancer prevention his life’s mission, joining the Richard David Kann (RDK) Melanoma Foundation in Florida.

He chose to start the advocacy work in the Philadelphia area, writing, “I figured the best place for me to start is the city I played baseball in for 20 years.”

The King of Prussia Mall installation is just a toehold, as Schmidt pledged to continue his RDK Melanoma Foundation work by placing numerous sunscreen dispensers at sites such as schools, parks, and trails.

The full story of Mike Schmidt in King of Prussia is at 6abc.