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This is Brave

This is Brave: “I have survived 25 years of skin cancer.”
By: Judy Cloud

This year marks the 25th year that I have had skin cancer. While it’s not a joyous occasion, nor am I planning any sort of festivity to celebrate my ‘anniversary,’ I am thankful. Why, you ask? Because I have survived 25 years of skin cancer. I have endured everything it has thrown at me so far. I’ve made it through twice-yearly (or more) exams, through biopsies, the anxiety of waiting for biopsy results, surgeries, stitches and recoveries.

I wouldn’t be truthful if I said I’m not tired of skin cancer. There are far too many days that I am weary of having skin cancer. I’m weary of the constant skin checks I do. I’m weary of the just-like-clockwork dermatologist appointments. I’m weary of the anxiety of a suspicious area being found on my skin and knowing there’s a good chance it will need some sort of treatment.

But thanks to my far too many years of over-exposure to the sun and the use of tanning beds (and a small part to genetics), this is the hand I’ve been dealt. The damage I did to my skin when I was younger continues to show up years later.

Words of advice: if you love to spend hours lying in the sun without sun protection or going to tanning beds and think this won’t happen to you, you might want to think again.

A definition of endurance is: “the ability or strength to continue, especially despite fatigue, stress or other adverse conditions.” And that is exactly what we, as skin cancer survivors, do. We endure.

I have endured every treatment up to this point. I will soon have surgery for an infiltrating basal cell carcinoma on my face. It’s not a huge area on the outside, but I have no idea how large it is under my skin. I’ve had to find a new surgical specialist, as my previous doctor retired. This new-to-me doctor will perform a procedure I’ve never had before. And honestly…I’m worried. I’m nervous. The new doctor comes highly recommended. I don’t question his capability to perform the surgery, but he also doesn’t know how far the roots have spread under my skin. It could be a small surgical area, or it could turn out to be a large area. There’s a chance that this could be the surgery that ends up permanently changing my facial features.

As a writer and moderator for HealthUnion’s SkinCancer.net, I interact almost daily with numerous people who are battling skin cancer or who are supporting a family member in their battle. Heartbreakingly, too many people have lost their lives to skin cancer. We must continue to increase awareness of the dangers of over-exposure to the sun and tanning beds. We need to make sure people know how to practice good sun safety habits. We need to make sure people realize that their inaction toward sun safety can cause skin cancer.

If you’re still staying in the sun for hours without protective clothing or sunscreen or if you visit the tanning bed because you think you look better with a tan, please change your ways. You can choose to stay out of tanning beds. You can choose to practice good sun habits. You can set a good example for your friends and family on practicing sun safety. You are worth it, and so are they.

To see Judy’s story with us from last year’s campaign, visit HERE.

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This is Brave

This is Brave: How Judy Lives the Mission Every Day

It’s been nearly a year since I wrote a blog for Coolibar’s “This is Brave” campaign. A lot has happened in the last year.  In that years’ time, an estimated 9,500 people were diagnosed every day with skin cancer.  An estimated 9,300 people died from melanoma.  And skin cancer remains the most common cancer in the United States. These are sobering statistics.

Over the last year, I’ve continued to not only be a patient but also a skin cancer awareness advocate.  I’ve had additional areas of skin cancer (squamous cell and basal cell) that needed treatment.  I know what it’s like to have the anxiety of wondering whether a suspicious area is skin cancer, and I know the feeling of wishing skin cancer would just go away. Unfortunately, for me, it won’t.

I also know the feeling that skin cancer can be a lonely cancer. That’s why I will continue to share my story, and I will continue to talk with and encourage others who are battling skin cancer or who are supporting loved ones in their battle. I continue to write articles for a skin cancer site, and I also moderate for them. In doing this, I’ve learned that far too many people don’t give much thought to skin cancer until it affects them or someone they love. We need to change this – especially given that many skin cancers can be prevented.

There’s so much work to be done. I want to do more. Indoor tanning continues to remain a big business in the United States. Insurance companies don’t yet cover an annual skin exam as preventative care. Too many people continue to not realize the consequences of tanning beds and over-exposure to the sun. I did a lot of damage to my skin when I was younger, as did many people.  My hope is that the more awareness we can raise, other people won’t make the same mistakes I did.  Now we know better, and now we can do better.

To see Judy’s story with us from last year, visit HERE.

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Skin Diaries This is Brave

This is Brave: Judy Cloud

Most of my life, I would not have associated the word ‘passionate’ with skin cancer, but here I am, passionate about skin cancer. Sounds odd, I agree. How did that happen, you ask?  The answer is this:  I have had skin cancer for over twenty years, and it won’t go away. I have had numerous surgeries to remove cancerous areas. Each day I am looking in the mirror, checking for new areas. And each time I find a suspicious place on my skin, it causes anxiety.

The truth is, skin cancer can largely be avoided by practicing good sun habits – protect your skin from over-exposure to the sun, use sunscreen, wear hats and sun protective clothing, avoid being in the sun during its strongest hours, and above all, do not use tanning beds. Yes, there can be a genetic factor to skin cancer, but largely, it can be prevented. And this is why I am passionate about raising skin cancer awareness. When I was growing up, there wasn’t much, if any, information about the dangers of overexposure to the sun. Kids played outside all day long. Sunscreen, if we had it, was SPF 2 or 4. Sunburns were common for fair-skinned people like me. Then along came tanning beds, which were introduced to us as being much safer than the sun (and which we now know is not at all true). Now we have more access to information. Now we see the results of generations of people who had over-exposure to the sun and went to tanning beds. Now we know better, and now we can do better. I don’t want others to have to go through what I’m going through, and helping to raise awareness about skin cancer is high on my priority list.

I must admit, being an advocate for skin cancer awareness at times puts me out of my comfort zone. I’m not used to having my life, complete with photos of my surgical wounds and healing process, ‘out there’ for all to see. But I need to be brave and continue to tell my story. And you as well, dear hearts. Be brave. If you are battling skin cancer, keep fighting. Keep telling your story. Keep raising awareness. And if you are someone who isn’t practicing the best sun habits, be brave. It’s okay to not have the ‘perfect’ summer tan. It’s okay to not go along with the crowd in thinking that you have to have a tan to fit in. One story at a time, one person at a time, we can raise awareness, passionately and bravely.

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