Funniest Sunburn Contest

If you logged onto Facebook today and caught up with your favorite melanoma friends, you probably noticed that people have been upset with Ellen DeGeneres. While I can't find the link now, the show requested folks to send in their funniest sunburn pictures.

Funniest + Sunburn = Seriously?

Before I go on a big long rant that I really am too sleepy for--thanks Rising Star for keeping me up too late--I have to admit that this probably would not have bothered me pre-melanoma. I would have looked, cringed, maybe even giggled, and moved on. But life after melanoma involves taking things more seriously than other people. A sunburn to me is the thing I can absolutely never get again. A sun--cough *Tanning Bed* cough--burn, now, is what made me sick.

What's funny about that?

So I joined in with my friends and responded to Ellen's request. Instead of the sunburn pictures--which I have many of--I sent a photo of myself post-melanoma. Most people think I probably have one scar to choose from. At this, I laugh.

 (The site of the first melanoma.)

 Melanoma was found in lymph nodes here...

 And melanoma was found here...

 And here...

(This mole was melanoma (in-situ) as well, March 2013.) 

 The site of the most recent borderline melanoma in-situ.

 The only places where I don't have melanoma scars are on my feet, my scalp, and my lady bits. Every where else has been marked either by melanoma or by trying to prevent melanoma. Both arms, both sides of my neck, my legs, my belly, my back xA LOT, and even my face. (Heading in next week for another surgery on my face. Yes, I'm still waiting for my appointment. I don't want to talk about it.)

As I said to Ellen, "I know you requested photos of sunburns, and I have plenty of those, but it's because of those burns that I was diagnosed with stage 3 malignant melanoma at age 23. Encouraging others to send photos of their sunburns is sending the wrong message. There is nothing funny about a sunburn, Ellen. Nothing. Sincerely, Still A Fan."

I'm proud of my friend Christina for bringing this contest to our attention and for all of my melanoma friends who took the time to speak out and explain why a sunburn is no longer something to joke about. Would we ask folks to send in photos of them smoking cigarettes?

XoXo,

A Sometimes Drama Queen. ;-)

Healing

Thank you all for your kind words, emails, and texts this week. While my new primary melanoma was quite a shock to us, my family and I truly appreciate the support you continue to send our way. We will head to New York in just a few days for scheduled CT scans and to evaluate the situation with my doctor. He has been on vacation this week, so he doesn't even know of my new excitement. I just hope he doesn't have anything exciting to tell me....I prefer boring scans, Dr. D. Please.

Thank you again for your well wishes and prayers. You've helped make this week easier.

Let's Refresh.

Hey y'all!

 It looks like I have a lot of new followers

 & I could not be more excited to have you!

Since many of you are stopping by from other blogs, 

I thought I better do a repeat introduction of myself.

*Having a beer in honor of my melanoma friend

who received good news!

I'm Chelsea, 25, 

and sometimes, I truly wish I could be Carrie Bradshaw.

Minus the fact that I don't have any of her fashion sense,

and I live in a small town in Virginia,

I like to pretend I'm close to Ms. Carrie.

I mean, hell, can I at least have her shoes?

Anywho.

After tanning while I was between the ages 14-21,

I was diagnosed with stage III malignant melanoma at age 23.

...and it sucked.

But I'm a fighter,

and I have an amazing team of doctors and supporters

who keep me on my toes,

and a smile on my face.

Or maybe that was the morphine...

Anyway,

Instead of letting this experience go unnoticed,

and because I will always be a cancer patient,

I am determined to share my story with 

just about anyone who will listen.

 

Even Headline News.

So, while I blog about many different topics on this site,

one thing remains true:

I want you to realize--and share--

melanoma is not just skin cancer,

and we can prevent it.

Help me.

Thanks for stopping by! 

XO

Who Needs A Tattoo...

when you get a new scar every 3 months? These scars are my own version of body art...

I went in for my 3 month skin check with my favorite dermatologist today. If you haven't gone for your full body skin check yet, call today and schedule it. Let me give you a warning though. Be prepared to have no part of you unchecked. I mean, NO. PART. OF. YOU. I escaped the in-between-the-cheeks and lady bits only because I promised I check those areas myself. He knows that I am extremely paranoid about my moles, I believe he trusts me. So, yes, the exam is awkward. Yes, I have made the mistake of forgetting to wear full underwear and made the visit even more awkward. However, the awkwardness of it is so worth it.

Mr. Spots took off work today to attend this appointment with me today. I was grateful for him being there because going back to the place where I was first diagnosed is always a bit uncomfortable for me. Bad memories! Anyway, Mr. Spots mentioned my blog to the dermatologist today. The dermatologist made an interesting comment: "I hope I have been good to you." My immediate response: "You saved my life." Silence.

It is true though. He removed the mole because he was not 100% sure about it. It looked unusual, but none of us believed it was melanoma. Isn't that how most stories start out? "They told me it was nothing to worry about..." Had I continued on with life after the scab on my mole went away instead of visiting the dermatologist--thanks to the boyfriend I kept my appointment-- chances are the melanoma would already be in my organs. I mean, think about it, it had already spread to numerous lymph nodes on opposite sides of my body. Removing that mole really did save me. It allowed me to be diagnosed with Stage III melanoma, not stage IV, the last and final stage of melanoma.

I didn't escape the dermatologist this time. He removed another suspicious area:

My skin is not a fan of the adhesive on the bandages. As soon as we got home, Mr. Spots pulled off the bandage--it's on my lower back--and washed the area for me to try to prevent a repeat of past events. However, the rash is already forming...I must remember to tell them NO BANDAGES next time. (And we all know there will be a next time! Better to be safe than sorry!)

Oh, and good ol' "And.Them" is back to playing games with me. For some reason when my doctors call/look online to verify my insurance, my insurance company says I do not have coverage. When I call, or when the "And.Them" representative who works with our company calls, I have and have always had coverage. Needless to say, this makes my life difficult.

...which leads me to having one of these with lunch!

I am going to go enjoy the rest of my Monday off by trying to find a comfortable position on the couch and reading my book. 

OH, one last thing!! We stopped to get a movie at Redbox and Mr. Spots noticed that even Redbox has to wear sunscreen.

If Mr. Redbox needs to wear sunscreen than SO DO YOU.

Happy Monday! XO

Blast From the Past

 Y'all know I have never denied my past tanning bed use. In fact, I blame the tanning bed for putting me in this rather unfortunate predicament. Yes, I got sunburns growing up, but never anything major. I have no history of melanoma, I have dark hair, dark eyes, but I am fair skinned. Despite my infrequent use of the tanning bed, lack of family history, and lack of realllllly bad sunburns, I was diagnosed with stage III melanoma at the 23.

So, I guess you can see why I have a problem with someone arguing with me about how healthy tanning beds are for you. (She actually said, " EVERYTHING is dangerous days, even fruits and vegetables you have to be realistic!") You know, because they clear your skin, give you a nice glow, and give you a great source of vitamin D. Instead of arguing back with her, I sent her to my blog. Let's bet she didn't click the link....


 This interaction got me thinking about my past...back when I thought skin cancer was "just" skin cancer. I was the girl who believed everyone looked prettier with a tan. Oh, how that makes me cringe now. Last week the lovely woman from The Skin Cancer Foundation requested pictures of me during my tanning bed days. I thought I would show them and compare them to my new life....

Here I am in 2008 in St. John, USVI.

This is a pretty typical picture for me

prior to melanoma.

Relaxing on the beach

VS.

Relaxing before my full lymph node dissection

on the right side of neck & under left arm.

I'd much rather be on the beach, covered in sunscreen, under an umbrella,

and be SAFE.

Nothing like a white shirt to make a tan look darker.

I'm cringing as I look at this.

VS.

Wearing a similar white shirt while

hanging out during my 4th session

in the chemo suite

Before I worried about people staring at 

the sides of my neck...

VS.

 Crying in a Food Lion parking lot

when I was asked by a stranger

about the scars on my neck.

From feeding my baby niece...

to

finding out that the little mole located

on the left side of my back

will be the thing

that could possibly 

prevent me from watching her grow up.

(Pssh. I am going to continue to kick melanoma's ass

but STILL! We're sharing fears here.) 

So, yeah...Please excuse me for thinking that tanning beds are the opposite of healthy for you. I learned the hard way, I truly realize that. In fact, I will be the first to admit that I learned the hard way. That is why I try like hell to educate others. I share my pictures so people can see just how tough melanoma can be if not detected early. Lance Armstrong writes in his book It's Not About the Bike, "I wanted this picture so that when I got better, I would never forget how sick I've been, You have to fight." Good ol' Lance is right. Now that I am currently showing No Evidence of Disease, these pictures are reminders that melanoma wasn't some fluke thing I had to tackle. It changed every aspect of my life. Every. Aspect. Of. My. Life. 

Don't learn the hard way...If you can at least try to prevent something that can ruin your life, shouldn't you take advantage of that? 

And my goodness, if you can't get over the "ugliness" of being pale, at least use spray tans. 

Try to avoid this place: Hotel Melanoma.

The Last 6 Months...Picture Telling

Six months ago my lifelong partnership with melanoma began. Yes, lifelong. Why? Melanoma is a terminal disease. (Yeah, I didn't know that either...) I figured I would tell my story this time through picture form. It has been one hell of a journey so far...

These were pictures from the surgery in January 26, 2011. (Minus the other armpit & other side of my neck...I was seriously cut up!) My sister teased me that I looked like Mrs. Frankenstein, but she was right. I totally did.

This was the girl who got me through the lonely days after my family brought me home following the first surgery. She has been my best friend since 4th grade. It's true, people you have grown up with know you better than most...Even though some believe I should hate the beach, it is still the one place I always go to clear my head.

These pictures were from the first trip to NYC when I first met my new oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. That was one of the toughest appointments because I was told that without surgery, I was not sick 'enough' for any of the clinical trials. My options were "watch & wait" or Interferon.



If you find yourself in NYC, go to Serendipity 3 for their Frozen Hot Chocolate. It is so good. 

These were taken about a month after surgery...The armpit scars are hard to see in pictures.

When finding out that I was in fact having another surgery, I decided I needed a vacation. I also needed to see my Gran & Pop. Off to Florida we went...



Mr. Spots & I had a great time in Florida, followed by a wonderful romantic stay in Savannah, GA.

Then it was time to let the surgeons slice & dice me again. On March 24, 2011 I checked into Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's main hospital for a full lymph node dissection of my neck & a full lymph node dissection of my left axilla (under my arm.)

4 nights in the hospital, 3 drains coming out of me, a severe allergic reaction to something, and a lot of stress for my family, I believe. At least I had amazing nurses who kept me nice & drugged!

I was released into the public with my two arm drains, returned the next day to have them removed, and was told that my pathology report came back...Out of all of the nodes they removed, ZERO were positive for melanoma.  I cried.

The end of April---Melanoma benefit organized by the best band in Roanoke: PolyChrome. I will never be able to thank the bands who participated or the community who supported us. It is a day I will never forget.

My story got published in a local magazine! (I have a 3 page spread coming out in the latest edition of my sorority magazine THE CREST. I am very excited to read it.)

Being sun safe even while out having fun!



Other NYC adventures!

So, that's where we stand right now. 2 surgeries, countless appointments, 3 sessions in the chemo suite, and suddenly, my six month anniversary with melanoma has arrived.

Protect the skin you're in...