Ten years of remembering Valentine’s Day and Melanoma

Almost three years ago my oldest daughter broke the news to me about her wedding:

“We found a date. It’s September 11. Yeah, I know but look at it this way—you’ll always be able to remember our anniversary.”

Between this and having a grandson born on that day, I have plenty of things to think about on September 11. But, I have my own holiday remembrance thing going on. It’s today—on Valentine’s Day.

Ten years ago today, I found the mole on my back that turned out to be Melanoma. Each year on this day, I think of cancer first while Valentine’s Day comes a bit further down the line. I doubt that will ever change. Sure there will be candy, roses and a romantic dinner, but there will also be a check in the mirror first thing in the morning to see if I can find anything suspicious. It will be the same thing I’ve done every February 14 since 2015.

I should have seen signs that it was coming. Ten days earlier I posted this picture of various color ribbons representing the different types of cancer. I did this in honor of a couple of friends—one recently diagnosed with cancer and another who had just died from the disease.

A few days afterward, I noticed that I was looking pale and sickly. I thought getting some color in my face would make me look and feel better—at least emotionally. And what’s a better place to do that than in San Diego watching a softball game with my family and then hanging out at their pool—without using any sunscreen. It led to looking like this:

Stylish Cubs hoodie though!! It looked good during the playoffs later that year—but anyway…

That’s the last time I’ve ever been sunburned that bad. A week later I found the mole that looked like the photo at the top—Melanoma.

It’s sad that it took cancer to inform me of the dangers of too much sun exposure. It’s tragic that many people had to die before they could learn that lesson.

But here’s the good news that has been lost in these ramblings:

Because I caught it early, the removal of the cancer was easy. The better news was it hadn’t spread. The best news is it hasn’t returned.

Today is the ten-year mark of finding the cancerous mole. TEN YEARS!! According to the American Cancer Society, you’re a survivor from the day of your diagnosis until the day you die. As my dermatologist told me on anniversary number five, it doesn’t mean you do anything different or take anything for granted, you still need to be aware of changes to your skin and practice sun safety. The same advice stands five years later. But still, I think it’s a pretty great milestone. I realize how lucky I am to celebrate this; I know a few others who weren’t as lucky.

So on to the celebration: flowers, candy and dinner with a side of sunscreen sounds good!