Melissa’s personal story

As a child I had several bad sunburns. As a teenager I used to go tanning to try to prevent getting an initial sunburn, not realizing the damage I was doing to myself.

I was very lucky that I found the melanoma at stage I and only needed a wide excision and no further treatment. I have had numerous dysplasic nevi removed since then. However, I am so thankful that I have been cancer-free for 10 years!

I go every three months to my dermatologist for checkups and I am vigilant about being careful in the sun, not only for myself but for my family, especially my 7-year-old son.