skin cancer

We as a generation are apathetic. We think “It will never happen to me.” I was the same way…I used to think that I was invincible. I am a teenager, after all. Then, one day, my superhero cape disappeared. While in the shower, I found a weird mole on my shoulder that I had never noticed before. I stood there completely numb. Since cancer runs on both sides of my immediate family, I am extremely wary about such things. The next day, I went to the doctor to have it checked out, and was told that I needed to see a specialist, who’s first available appointment was three weeks away. Those three weeks were the scariest of my entire life. Here I was, eighteen years old, facing the possibility of skin cancer. All I could do was think about the countless times I had laid on the beach in Hawaii, where I am from, without any type of protection. At the time, getting a tan was my ultimate goal, and I’d do whatever I needed to get it.

I am extremely lucky to now be able to say that the mole turned out to be non-cancerous. That experience, however, has forever changed me. I never want to be that afraid ever again, yet I will be eternally grateful for the experience. I’ve now come to embrace my naturally lighter skin. Yes, I still enjoy the beach, but do so armed with plenty of SPF and the mindset that taking care of myself also includes my skin.

I take this newfound wisdom on my crusade to help educate others. I remind my friends to use sunscreen. I urge then them to refrain from using tanning beds — and I urge you to do the same. I am trying to make sure that no one ever has to go through what I did. Learn from my mistakes, and protect yourself. You would never jump out of an airplane knowing that you did not have a parachute, so why sit in the sun without proper protection?

Maybe my superhero cape didn’t disappear…I just temporarily misplaced it.

Xoxo,
Glenna