I have LOTS of great photos to share from our trip to Connecticut over Memorial Day weekend but first allow me to post something a little more serious if you will. I don't talk about this a whole lot because quite frankly I don't want it to define who I am but the reality is I am fighting the war against Melanoma. I had it twice before I was 30 years old and will have to be vigilant for the rest of my life in watching for another occurrence. It's hard sometimes but you get used to your "new normal."
I've been lucky. Both of my melanomas have been caught very, very early. I have a lot of scars to show for my battles but nothing more. A lot of people are not so lucky.
There are a lot of terrible diseases out there that people suffer from and they all deserve funding for research to find a cure or a treatment. Melanoma is just one of them. But it's the one that directly affects my family. And so, once a year, I bring this up and ask for support. Melanoma is one of the many diseases that is grossly underfunded. If this cancer is not caught early the survival rate is usually less than 10%. It's a death sentence because the funding is not there for scientists to find adequate treatments. Chemo doesn't work, radiation doesn't work.....it's not like any other type of cancer out there.
There is a wonderful woman who has started a foundation to raise money for melanoma research. This foundation is still gaining momentum but the money they bring in goes directly to the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and specifically to their melanoma research facility. It's the real deal folks. The woman who heads this foundation lost her son Brad to melanoma just a few years ago. He was 27.
This year there is kind of a new element to this for me. I have a little bit of a new fear now that I'm a mom. I want to see my son grow up. I want to be here when he goes to kindergarten, learns to drive, graduates from high school, gets married....the list goes on. I don't want this disease to "get me." And I also don't want this disease to "get" Grant. I think that is my greatest fear that has come about this year. And although I know God does not give us a "spirit of fear" and our "days are written in the Book of Life" and as I often say "I could get hit by a bus tomorrow," (that last quote doesn't quite seem to fit with the others....haha) I do think about mortality a little more than the average young adult.
Since having my melanomas I've tried to balance being offensive (wearing sunscreen EVERYDAY and staying out of the sun) with living my life. I love the beach, the pool....all those great summertime activities and I haven't let the melanoma stop me. I've just had to play this game of life a little smarter. And I want to try to do the same for Grant. Although I can pretty much guarantee you that my son will be the one at the pool with SPF 500 that hasn't even been FDA approved yet, a full body suit with SPF fabric, hat, sunglasses and a float with built in shade. Please be friends with him anyway! :)
And so, at the risk of being known as "the melanoma girl," I ask you to give to this cause if you can. There is the annual "Miles for Melanoma Walk" this Saturday in Coppell. We will be there with Grant AND Dakota and would love to see you there. The event itself is free but it is hoped that each participant will make a donation. You can find all the info and online registration here. We want you to still be our friend so please don't feel pressure to give any money or participate in the walk! We just want to put the invitation out there.
I'll quit my ramblings on melanoma for this year. :) We'd LOVE to see you for a nice stroll around the pond on Saturday morning!
Love,
Lindsay
Kids Just Having Fun ~ TAMU Island Party
1 week ago
2 comments:
Lindsay, I wholeheartedly support this cause! My Dad underwent a melanoma incident early this year. His had gone to his lymph nodes and resulted in a modified radical neck dissection. Luckily, the cancer had not spread, but it was such a wake up call for me and I don't think there will be a single day in my family's life when we don't think about cancer now. I've always been more vigilant because I have fair skin, but now adding that genetic component makes me even more cautious. Too bad we don't live closer because my ghost white, covered in SPF clothing and hats children would love to be friends with Grant at the pool!
Hi Lindsay! Okay, I apologize in advance for the length of my comment :-) I always love reading what you write about melanoma because I feel like you're writing words that are always swimming around in my head. It's SO hard not to be fearful (esp. since Caroline has had a parent and grandparent with hx of this brutal cancer). Speaking of, Matt's parents are moving here this summer and Matt's dad is going to be a patient of Dr.Bs! He's been in remission from Stage 2 melanoma for 2 years now and we're counting down to the five year mark. Anyway, Caroline would love to play with Grant at the pool. I have feeling they'll look alike. We went to the pool yesterday and poor Caroline had on sunscreen, a hat, and had to sit in a shaded float. So we're right there with you guys. Oh, I don't know if you've heard about the big sunscreen debate. But apparently a lot of the sunscreens on the "shelf" don't have the right ingredients to protect against UVA and UVB rays. The safest and best ingredients to have in sunscreen are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. It's hard to find this but we use blue lizard...their website is http://www.crownlaboratories.com/bluelizard/
They have a baby sunscreen that is awesome!! We're sad to miss the walk this year...hopefully we'll make it next year! Sorry again that this is so long. Thank you so much for this post!!
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