Don't get spoiled by all these posts so close together. It is like the good ole' days when Karin was around feeding me info.
Soooo, May is Skin Cancer and Melanoma Awareness Month. There are several factors that put you at a higher risk for this yucky disease. Again, I am not a doctor (although a mother!) so I am passing information that has been shared with me to you. Some factors include; light skin, light eyes, those that do not "tan", if you have 2 or 3 bad burns while growing up, exposure to tanning beds or sun lamps, family history (blood related), one or more atypical moles and having 50+ moles on your body. If a suspicious mole is caught early your chances are very good. Karin was very good about going to her dermatologist once a year since her original mole was removed 8 years ago. I don't want to get into why the melanoma in Karin's body was not detected earlier by doctors. That is a waste of time and it will not bring Karin back. HOWEVER, we can change what we do!! In light of May being Skin Cancer Awareness Month I would like to rally the Blog readers to visit a dermatologist. Yes, it will take an hour out of your day, but it may add years to your life. Open up the phone book and pick one out and tell them you want a full body check. And, it is not a complete exam unless you take off your clothing! They will make a "map" of your moles and then there is a baseline for any growth. So here is what I propose: I would like to see 50 of Karin's friends making an appt. to go the the dermatologist next month in Karin's honor. Salina and Noah know how much Karin is loved. They are also young and need to be reminded that their Mom is not forgotten. This is something you can do to honor Karin and remind Salina and Noah how loved their mother is and always will be. No past tense there. So, after you make your appt. email me so I can keep a tally and I will post the tally. Email me at bethey12@yahoo.com. You are not too young or too old. Karin is proof of that. Cancer does not discriminate.
I wanted to share a personal story that drives this home. Last year, when Karin first got sick my brother in law (lives in Palm Springs, CA) got on his computer and looked up what a cancerous mole looked like. He felt that the mole he was questioning on himself was not anything. He later spent some time with a close friend, Jason. Jason is in his early 30's and is a healthy father of 2 and a paramedic. My brother in law noticed a mole on his friend's arm and pointed out to him that it looked suspicious. Jason went the the dermatologist for the first time and it was biopsied and proven to be cancerous. He had the mole and a large chunk of his arm removed. None of this would have happened without Karin's story.
Looking forward to hearing from YOU!!!