#May #MelanomaAwareness

May is Melanoma Awareness Month!

 

I guess I consider it an honor to have been diagnosed during the month that they are advocating.

Every year I go and get a "Mole Patrol" done by my family doctor and because of this, my Melanoma was found.

There are many things that I have learned since I have been diagnosed with cancer. A lot of what has helped me through these last 20 days, is the knowledge of knowing just what I am up against so that I can be fully prepared and armed to fight!

Please note that it cannot be determined how I got this Melanoma but in reading the "qualifications" lists on several reputable sites, I qualify!

In my case, I am going to tell my story and I am going to start at the very beginning.

When I was 16 years old, and the legal age to tan in a tanning bed, I was in there. I started tanning at 16 and didn't stop until the summer of 2009. I didn't tan everyday but was in their enough to keep myself with a bronze color during the spring, fall. During the winter months, we would vacation in the tropics and I could get plenty of sun there. I never had to tan in the beds during the summer because we had a swimming pool and I was outside laying out or in the pool.  I rarely wore sunblock because I didn't want it to interfere with my color at all. The sun was my life and a source of peace to me. I loved the way the warm sun felt against my skin and face. I would sleep in my lounger for hours under the sun.

I started volunteering for Gilda's Club thanks to Erin! She introduced me to this amazing place where she worked, and I fell in love with it and the people there. Erin lost her mom from cancer and knows first hand the emotions and everything involved. She is such a huge support to me and I could never imagine my life without her!! 

I would go into schools with Anita and we would educate the kids on cancer, health and help them through the tough times that they were facing with their classmates or teachers. We also went into the Health classes at High Schools to discuss cancer and bring it to their awareness. I would go in before prom and give them education on tanning beds so they could make the best choice about tanning. Pretty ironic, huh!?

One day, in the summer of 2009, Katie picked up a brochure and saw the statistics on the use of tanning beds and sweetly asked me to stop. She said, Mom, I never want to lose you, please do this for me. I did and have never looked back, until now. What do I think caused my cancer? I don't have to have a high I.Q. to figure this one out!

 

What is this Melanoma that I have?      

It  is a form of cancer that begins in Melanocytes(Cells that make the pigment melanin). It may begin in a mole, but can also begin in other pigmented tissues, such as in the eye or in the intestines. (www.cancer.gov)

I recommend a yearly Mole Patrol because things can be caught that you may not know are even there. Your medical doctor can be great for a million different issues, and I respect my doctor, but when it comes to your moles & skin, you need a dermatologist!! This is what they are trained for and know what to look for. They can take measurements and keep track of changing moles as well. Do not think that Melanoma can only start with a mole. It can pop up anywhere. It is so important to know your body and monitor things that change and if something bothers you, make an appointment!

 

 Why is tanning so dangerous?

The greatest contributor (approximately 65 percent) to melanoma is exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This includes UV radiation that comes from both the sun and from artificial sources, such as tanning beds. The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies tanning beds and tanning lamps into its highest cancer risk category – carcinogenic to humans, the same category as other hazardous substances such as plutonium and certain types of radium.

Staggering Statistics

Research indicates that just one blistering sunburn can double your chances of developing melanoma later in life. In addition, using tanning beds before age 35 increases your risk of developing melanoma by 75 percent. Occasional use of tanning beds triples your chances.

Melanoma is the second most common cancer in teens and young adults and is the most common type of cancer for young adults. Melanoma is the leading cause of cancer death in women 25 to 30 years old and the second leading cause of cancer death in women 30 to 35 years old.

(Why is tanning so dangerous & Staggering Statistics taken from www.melanoma.org)

Please know that I am in no means trying to scare anyone, BUT, this is very real and very dangerous. This is your life that you are dealing with and you are only given one!

My story is far from over, but I am continuing to move forward not knowing what is ahead of me.

I am going to continue to educate and tell my story so that I can help to save others along the way.  

I have been diagnosed just 20 days and I already know that my fight is not in vein!

My dear friend, V, who I love very much, told me the other night at dinner that the day I was diagnosed, she went into the tanning salon and cancelled her tanning package and said she is never tanning again!

If all of this information helps to save a ton of people, then this journey has been worth it . If all of this information saves just one person, It was worth it all!  

Catching Melanoma early might save the life of someone you love-even you!