2014 update

Hello everyone,

Thank you so much for stopping by! I am in the midst of grad school and have been so busy focusing on work and school that I've had literally no time to write in here since the summer. I figured that an update was much needed.

Here we are in 2014! It has been ten months since I was diagnosed with the earliest stage of melanoma. I am so thankful each and every day that I was fortunate enough to have it discovered early. My melanoma was located on my back in a light colored mole near my spine, a location that I would have never been able to see with my own eyes. Had someone not cared enough for me to point it out, I would not have been able to catch it as early as I did. That is the part that really scares me the most. I have no idea what my future would have brought to me had I not been diagnosed so early.

While I am so grateful that I was diagnosed so early and only required surgery to remove it, it's difficult to explain to others why melanoma is so terrifying. I know that many people do not understand why I am so paranoid and was so worked up. All most people can seem to grasp is that I had a cancerous mole and had it cut off. So many of my friends and peers still continue to tan, continue to ignore sun protection, still continue to ignore the risks. That has been one of the most difficult things for me to cope with in these past 10 months.

I feel so blessed to be able to say that I am currently healthy and melanoma free. Since my surgery, I've had 3 other biopsies done and all have come back clear. My dermatologist gave me the okay to switch from 3 month skin check ups to 6 months. A few weeks ago I began to get really nervous about a changing mole and scheduled an appointment. Luckily that spot was cleared as well and I left feeling relieved. I feel really good right now.

I still get upset whenever I see people carelessly in the sun, or hear people talking about "needing a tan" or going tanning. I'm not fully comfortable yet with approaching these situations. Over the holidays I traveled home to visit my family. My Mom had ordered UV reaction beads that change colors when exposed to UV light. She made keychains out of them and was passing them out to everyone that we saw over the holidays. I am so grateful for my Mom. She has been so strong for me and has been such a huge advocate for me throughout this entire journey. I might be uncomfortable approaching people to explain the dangers of tanning and the sun, but my mom is not. She's been so vocal about melanoma to others and has even helped out at relay for life events by passing out her UV bead keychains. I am just so thankful for her and truly don't know where I'd be without her support.

This blog really is the only place that I feel completely comfortable talking about my melanoma. As much as I want to preach to others about sun safety and loving their skin, I feel uncomfortable about it. I often worry that people will think that I am trying to seek sympathy when I am trying to spread awareness. It's also difficult for me to open up to people who continue to worship the sun. My boyfriend's mother is a brilliant woman and a few days ago she said to me "people won't change until they want to change". I'm trying to fully grasp this concept and accept that my experience might not change people's behaviors, but it's certainly difficult to do so.

I am so grateful for those of you who have been supportive of my blog and are working to spread melanoma awareness. My heart goes out to all of you with advanced melanoma, or loved ones with it; I pray for you each and every day. Hopefully together we can help people learn to accept and embrace the color of their own skin and fight this horrific disease.

Till next time,