I have quite a busy week next week and one of the upcoming activities directly links to my Melanoma and thankfully not in a bad way.
I shall keep you in suspense for now and instead share with you a question I have been asked to ponder in advance of then.
“How has Skin Cancer changed your life?”
It’s a bit hard to even know where to start.
I wasn’t expecting it. It didn’t completely come out of no-where in that I have moles & had a couple removed before.
But like many people I have always been of the illusion that Skin Cancer is like other cancers…cut away the problem, treat it & then life continues…it goes on…..you are cured. I was wrong.
I had been of the impression that doctors know best…they tell you something is fine & you believe them…..& if they don’t mention or offer an alternative it is because there isn’t one there – not that the funding isn’t there or that that service just isn’t offered by that specific hospital for whatever reason. I was wrong.
I believed that I was the healthy & indestructible one in our family…I had a cast iron constitution & rarely took days off work ill. I was wrong.
Even when the blade was cutting my skin for the first time…I still truly believed that this was it…cut it out, I heal & life resumes as before. I was wrong.
But that was just the start of the rollercoaster…..a rollercoaster in a long, long, long, twisting loop…..with ups & downs…pauses, rests and several moments of panic & fear. Tumultuous to say the least!
I have changed in ways I cannot even begin to measure.
I am no longer laid back and carefree. I have to watch & wait. I am aware of a potential mortality that had previously barely crossed my mind.
I no longer trust everything I am told, I question, refer to literature & second guess. I self-diagnose, over analyse, fret and scrutinise.
But…… I have found inner strength and courage I didn’t know existed.
I refuse to let this beat me…I will own my Melanoma & not the other way around.
I know about the food that I eat, I exercise more, I understand the science of Cancer and how it works – what it does inside & why.
Apart from the evil shitbag that is my melanoma I am healthier now than I have ever been. (let’s pretend the colon polyps are not there for now shall we!)
I have turned the sadness, the fear, the anger and the misery into a fire…I want to make Melanoma front page news…not because of the death rate and the increasing numbers that are getting diagnosed with skin cancer….but because of a quest to find that illusive cure.
I am intent on ensuring that everyone understands the basics of Skin Cancer…catch it early & improve your survival rate. Be sensible in the sun. Understand and know your skin. Superfoods and exercise can deter cancer….you know…the basics….I could go on…..
I believe that all people diagnosed with melanoma should be given access to the same standards of care & treatment no matter where they live & that all people in the medical world should be able to tell one Skin Cancer from another & understand the implications, treatments and outcomes of them all.
I think it is all about awareness….not just mine and yours….but across the board.
So yes….Skin Cancer has changed me.
Granted I am a bit bruised & fragile emotionally.
But instead of sitting back and watching everyone else jump up & down cussing about issues that matter to them…I am.
I am that strange blonde over there on that soap box….can you hear me alright?