"Young Woman's Enemy: Skin Cancer"

I kept telling everyone yesterday that there must be a full moon because I was having a ridiculously crazy day!

Then I opened my email: "I saw your video and blog. Wow, good for you for speaking out! I work with Dr Drew on HLN’s Dr Drew. We are discussing tanning beds and melanoma tonight on our show. Any way you can join us via phone or skype or on camera? We are on at 9pm et. Thanks." She posted her phone number. Honestly, when I first read it, I thought it was a joke.

I emailed the person back, then I decided it was best to call because I wanted to see if it was a scam or not. A lady answered immediately, "Headline News!" I introduced myself and began a great conversation with the lady who had emailed me. It was legitimate. They wanted me on their show.

The show went well. Dr. Drew was very kind to me and I have nothing negative to say about him or the show itself. I knew going into it that the topic was about the crazy tan New Jersey mom who allegedly took her 5 year old daughter in the tanning booth with her. I got to toss in a few "it's not just skin cancer" remarks, but the majority of the show was dedicated to audience members calling in with their opinions. Still, I was very honored that they contacted me to put a face to Melanoma!

Today I met my baby sister for lunch and coffee to gossip about the events from last night. As I was leaving the parking garage, my phone rang. It was an unusual phone number but I decided to answer anyway. It was someone calling from Headline News! Would I be available for a phone interview at 4:05 pm? Of course!

I had no idea what to expect. I thought that we would be discussing Tan Mom again like the previous night on Dr. Drew. I had no idea that the segment would be about me and my adventure with Melanoma. 

I have not seen the actual videos. I have asked HLN to send me a link with the interview from today, but I have not heard back yet. Fingers crossed!

I want to give HLN and Dr. Drew a big THANK YOU for allowing me the opportunity to share my story nationwide. Both Dr. Drew and Christi Paul were very kind to me and I greatly appreciate it. These last 24 hours have been a whirlwind, but I could not be more honored.

Melanoma, I'm personally attacking YOU.

 Beware.

HERE'S THE YOUTUBE LINK http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3I0zzEIaEI&feature=youtu.be

Tan-Free

Happy Skin Cancer Awareness Month!

Have you scheduled your appointment with your dermatologist yet?

What are you waiting for?

Today I am asking you to read Susan's latest post. She's the mother of Ms. Jillian, a young lady in her early 20's who is battling stage IV melanoma. Grab the tissues. This one got to me.  

Now, go spread some awareness. Please.

Share This!

"Here’s a generally good rule of thumb: when doctors, dermatologists, and scientists link a purely recreational, easy-to-avoid behavior like tanning to cancer, and the people who are making money off that purely recreational, easy-to-avoid behavior try desperately to refute them, it’s best to err on the side of science and safety."

~Hanna Brooks Olsen

OK, stop reading my blog and go read this article! Share it! 

http://blisstree.com/live/tanning-association-says-indoor-tanning-is-totally-safe-651/

"Skanky Bitches."

I have been gossiped about a lot in my 24 years. No surprise there since I am from a small peninsula and I used to date a lot of dudes who were mentioned in the gossip grapevine frequently. What I am trying to say is that I have heard a lot of amusing stories and assumptions about myself, some true, some totally so far fetched that they still cause me to chuckle. However,  I heard one today that I just have to share with you.

My friend travels for a living and he was at a client's house this afternoon when he noticed a tanning bed. He casually mentions how unsafe tanning beds are for us. The client responded, and I quote, a tanning bed is "safer than natural sunlight."

(Ha. I would bet she heard that from her local tanning salon.)

Anywho, my friend immediately started telling this client about me and how I have stage III melanoma. Instead of offering sympathy or concern, this woman says, "Oh. She was probably one of those skanky bitches who abused it by going all the time."

That's a pretty big assumption, lady. 

I have never denied my tanning bed use. I wanted to be pretty, and I associated being pretty as being tan. However, I have always said I only went to a tanning bed before major events like prom, graduations, and vacations. I never went "all the time." I was never the girl with the constant bronzed skin. In fact, I was quite the opposite. Ha. Now that I am thinking about it, I remember sitting at a bar, and a dude said to me, "Do you ever go out in the sun?" Yeah, I was typically the ghost girl.

Yet, I am the girl--the first out of all of my tanning bed obsessed friends--who received the advanced melanoma diagnosis at only 23.

Today I read this article titled, "I wish I wouldn't have cared so much about being tan." The article focuses on pending laws in Missouri and Illinois that would restrict tanning for teens. In Missouri, the law will force parents to sign the necessary forms prior to their children being allowed to tan. In Illinois, the law would prevent teens from tanning at all.


Dr. Lynn Cornelius, chief of dermatology at Washington University School of Medicine, said in the article that she has recently diagnosed a lot of women in their 20s with melanoma. The article says that when Cornelius questions the women about their tanning habits, "the number using tanning beds is 80 (percent) to 90 percent of them," she said. "It's just alarming."

Don't let this:

Turn you into this:

Oh, and for the record ma'am, I may be a bitch, but I certainly am not a skanky bitch. ;-)

It's My Cancer...

 ...And I will bitch about it if I want to.

Recently a person that I have to (unfortunately) remain pleasant to indirectly insulted me on her Facebook page. After having posted my blog discussing my cancerversary party, she posted a status update that basically said that I, without mentioning me by name, should stop talking about my experience, that she knows it has been a tough year but we all have them, it is over, so stop talking about myself, and simply be thankful to be alive. Obviously I am not an idiot and realized it was her (drunken) jab at me. (She actually posted that she wanted to make me cry. Mature.) I debated long and hard if I should sink to her level and respond to it or simply let it go. It was Friday the 13th and I was in no mood to take bullshit. So, I responded....

And then she deleted me.

Ha.

It got me thinking though.

Melanoma is an odd disease. It does not go away. Ever. Sure, you can--and want to--show No Evidence of Disease--but that does not mean that you no longer have melanoma. It simply means that you are in the maintenance phase of blood work, scans, and hopefully, as my oncologist kindly refers to them, "healthy baby check-up appointments"  It does not mean that your run in with cancer is over.

Although what Mrs. Home Girl referred to as my tough year is over, I continue to fight to stay ahead of this disease. I can't skip a 3 month scan because I am busy at work. I can't claim remission and go back to living the life I used to live. It just does not work that way. Someone else may see my fight with cancer as being over because I am not having surgeries every other month or heading to the oncologist numerous times a week, but that is where they are wrong. For 3 months at a time, I can start to feel a little secure that I am healthy. 3 months until the anxiety returns.

Ironically, I have received a few emails recently from fellow melanoma warriors who state that they also "had" melanoma. This makes me nervous. Does their use of the past tense mean they believe they are in the clear? Do they follow up with their oncologists? Do they monitor their blood work? Or will they be the folks who find out about their reoccurance too late?

I decided it was time to ask my fellow warriors how they describe their melanoma. Do they say that they have Stage ___ Melanoma or do they say that they had Stage __Melanoma.


My most favorite responses thus far were these:

"I say have. I may have clear scans for the moment but since you are never in remission with melanoma... it's current to me."

"Interesting topic...I usually say. "I was diagnosed at stage IIIB in 2008." This is certainly a sneaky beast. Maybe using the past tense gives people the sense of stability in an uncertain situation."

"Chelsea- as you know I have been on chemo for the last 2 years and been NED for most of those 2 years. I get asked ALL.THE.TIME if I am in remission. My answer is always no. With Melanoma I will probably never be "in remission" I will always be on some sort of chemo and I will forever battle Melanoma. That's just the new normal for me. I'm ok with it. Kind of..."

I know that people not directly affected by my experience probably do get annoyed with my constant postings about articles or videos regarding melanoma especially since they believe I am going to be just fine and that it is time to move on. This is why Facebook has a defriend option thought, right? At the same time, I know that I have many friends who appreciate my posts. Besides, this is my cancer. Until you walk in my shoes, you can't tell me how to act.

Bottom line, let us all remain vigilant and continue to educate until there is no more educating to be done. Let us live our lives in the way that we know best.


           (Oh, and let us have the ability to kick the people who bring us down out of our lives.)

"But understand this: my commitment to living in the now means I'll never ever say that I've beaten cancer. To do so would be living in the "tomorrow," if you will, and melanoma is far too erratic an opponent to go around making predictions. But I can tell you for sure that I'll never give in to it. Life is too precious to give it up without giving everything you've got -- now."

Dr. Jack Ramsay.

Suprise!

This past Monday I was shocked once again by my unbelievable support system. I knew that Mr. Spots had something up his sleeve because he was being awfully secretive and would not let me stay in my pajamas that I automatically change into after work. However, I had no idea how many other people were involved in this secret....

Mr. Spots, the kiddo, and I headed out for dinner Monday night. Once we arrived at one of my favorite restaurants, I started glancing around the parking lot to see if any of my friends were in on this dinner plan. Not seeing any familiar cars, I decided that Mr. Spots had not been lying, it was, indeed, just a special dinner for the 3 of us. The hostess even played along, "Party of 3, right this way!"

She led us into the party room where a group of my friends were patiently waiting! Surprise!

It was so nice to spend the evening with people who have supported me throughout this past year. Right before dinner was served, I received another surprise. My friend Rayna announced that there was someone who was very sad that she could not attend my party. Because this friend still wanted to help me celebrate, she had arranged for Rayna to order a bottle of champagne and give me a letter to read when receiving the champagne.

I was so lucky when melanoma introduced me to Anne a year ago.

She is one of a kind.

I received another special gift from another woman who has fought her own battle this year. I met this woman this past April before the benefit that local bands did for me here in Roanoke. She is a woman with a huge heart and a lot of love to give. She recently lost her husband due to a massive heart attack, but despite that, she continues to encourage others, offer love and support, and be the same beautiful woman that she has been since I was introduced to her. She inspires me. Alyse gave me this necklace that she has had for 40 years. It stands for good health. Alyse explained that she wants me to have it, keep it for 40 years, and give it to someone else who needs to be reminded that a healthy future awaits her. 

Phew. She believes I am going to be here for 40 years to give the necklace to someone myself. Let me tell you, I had to struggle to keep the tears in check for that one!

After we celebrated with great food, delicious wine, and bubbly bubbly, it was time to head home. Since we had the kiddo, Mr. Spots headed home early so that he could get kiddo tucked into bed without rushing me away from my friends. (Have I mentioned he spoils me?) I thought the special night was over....

That was not the case, Rayna had one last surprise up her sleeve.......

Rayna had contacted some of my melanoma friends and asked them to write me a letter and then she put all of the letters into a scrapbook. Oh, waterworks...To know that some of my fellow warriors took time out of their very busy schedules to send me a letter of inspiration means so much to me. On the flip side, to have a friend who knows how important my molemates are to me means the world! I am, truly, a very blessed young lady.

I ended the night with one extra glass of wine, my guy next to my side, and reading my special book.

Melanoma, you have changed my life dramatically in this first year, but I have gained lifelong friends because of you. For that, I am, and I will always be, grateful.

One year cancerversary!