Seriously. You Need to Do This.

I remember my mother telling me that when she was a little girl people used to burn the clothes of cancer victims so others wouldn't "catch" it. These days we see the absurdity of that. We've made great strides in detecting and treating cancer, but we have not eradicated it yet. We still have many questions.

Cancer, specifically melanoma, is something I worry about almost daily. I didn't wear sunscreen as a child of the 70s and 80s. I grew up longing to be that baked tan color even though I was a fish-belly-white red-head with no hope of a tan unless I developed one all-encompassing freckle. In eighth grade I went to a track meet where all the other runners were using baby oil to tan between races. Let's just say I couldn't move for four days--literally--and I still have the scars on my shoulders. As a teenager I was a life guard for three summers in a row. In college I once burned my back so badly I had strap marks for two years. Of course, they were really scars.

I've not been kind to my skin. I have "halos" around a mole or two that I need to keep an eye on. The halos, if you aren't familiar with them, are proof that I've had several severe sunburns. They are just what they sound like: white circles around a mole.

I have also known others whose lives have been changed by cancer. Their stories aren't mine to tell, but suffice it to say, things have not been easy and there were frightening moments.

Cancer is scary, but knowledge is power. My blogging friend Karen at Simply A Musing Blog is leading the charge to help us gather that knowledge. From her blog today:

Here's the deal. I have some oncologists in Texas that want you to be informed so badly, they are willing to donate some time to the cause.
They are inviting you to a question and answer right here on my blog.

Leave your cancer question and I'll do my very best to have it answered by one of these highly trained oncologists. Obviously, not every question will be able to be answered, but we will get as many as we can. I will accept questions throughout the weekend and comments will close at 9 pm central mountain time on Sunday, May 18th.

You can leave your question here or there. If you leave it here, I'll forward it to Karen. Please head over to her blog and read what she has to say today. It could save your life or that of a loved one.

Comments

[Aggie]

I know how you feel. I did the same with baby oil. I visited Aruba in the 90's, thinking that I wasn't getting enough of a tan - I used baby oil. Burnt to a crisp. Took 6 months to recoup. Never did it again. Now I visit the dermatologist office annually. And use spf 45 whenever I'm outside, even long drives in the car. Hind sight is funny...

[Karen (Simply A Musing Blog)]

Oh, thank you thank you thank you for championing this cause with me. :) You're the best!

I was a baby oil user too...and to this day I say that the only way I'll ever have a beautiful tan is if all my freckles group together...but then I'd just look like Michael Jackson, which is SO not pretty. I'd rather be the freckled underbelly of a fish, thank you very much. :)

[Clemntine]

Well, those of us fishbellies who were really IN THE KNOW added IODINE to our baby oil to act as a dye and accelerant.

And now we wish our dermatologists well as they leave to vacation on the private island they bought with our Health Savings Account dollars.

And, for so long, I thought Mall Bangs were my greatest regret of the '80's. :-/

[Jen]

I'm guilty of the baby oil thing too. I then moved on to Hawaian Tropic tanning accelerator. I really didn't burn very often, though. I guess I was lucky. I wish that I had slathered on the block. I'm sure my skin would be so much nicer if I had.

[Mrs. Bick]

It is like you were telling MY story. And now I am a better informed momma of fair skinned children (one a true redhead).

The American Cancer Society does hold skin cancer screenings...which are near painless...just a little discomfort to stand near naked in front of a stranger and nurse for the actual screening. I went last weekend and got a clean bill despite my years of skin abuse. You too can find a screwing near you on the ACS website.

[Mrs. Bick]

Dang the sensitive iPhone touch keypad! Good for a laugh, that typo of mine!

[Michelle]

That is my story too. I had several severe sunburns as a kid. I get checked regularly, in fact I go again in 3 weeks. My kids are constantly slathered with SPF50. If we had only known.

[trisha]

A mole..or cancer? Cancer doesnt run in my family, I dont tan, and I am far from a sun worshiper. The second I step outside, I seem to get "sun spots" everywhere..large freckles, from my arms down my legs. I have had a mole on my neck for as long as I can remember...but recently, I feel like its changed. Now, that could be my paranoia or the fact that I dont look at it that often because of its placement, or even due to the summer months...my question is, how do you KNOW when a mole has changed in a negative fashion? Dr visits are not cheap, and not easy w/ children, I just cant run to the dr all the time if its just sillyness. Here is a picture (warning: Wierd pic of strangers mole, lol) DO I go? Or completly normal?
trisha

http://s37.photobucket.com/albums/e71/haasiegirl/?action=view¤t=mole.jpg