Reminder: May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month

To the Editor:

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and may my story inspire you to health. I lost a friend to undiagnosed skin cancer, and that event saved me. I started going to a dermatologist and in May 1990 I was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma that needed immediate care. I had surgery in June which found that the skin cancer had grown down to my heart. Unable to know if all of the cancer was removed, I took an early retirement. I am still around 27 years later thanks to early detection.

Things you should know about skin cancer. Skin cancer is on the rise for many reasons but is largely preventable with care. A single sunburn “can” cause the body to be on the road to cancer. Skin cancer starts on the skin and grows into your body.

Healthy skin is skin protected from the sun. Don’t risk a burn, as sunblock and common sense are relatively cheap. Stay out of the sun when it is directly overhead and your shadow is short. Protect your whole body, not just spots and especially your ears and nose.

This should be easy to do, but we just don’t. So “protect the skin you’re in.”

Gerald Ray

Spokane