I’ll be interviewed all about the latest Melanoma news and the difference a thorough screening can make…and more about   why MoleSafe is the world’s most comprehensive detection and surveillance teledermatology platform for Melanoma screenings.

Emperor of all Maladies

As one friend wrote of “The Emperor of all Maladies”: “May sound depressing but it’s not. It’s fascinating and feels (so far) like a must-read for anyone who has had cancer or been touched by someone who did. Said another way, EVERYONE.”

The official description:

“…a magnificent, profoundly humane “biography” of cancer—from its first documented appearances thousands of years ago through the epic battles in the twentieth century to cure, control, and conquer it to a radical new understanding of its essence.”

Have you read it?  What are your thoughts? As always, your comments are welcome.

Next, what better time than Mother’s Day to thank moms like the Walters sisters who now also ensure they practice safe sun exposure for their kids as well!  As a reminder, that includes having them play in the shade, using protective clothing, and applying sunscreen regularly.

Speaking of sun exposure, SpaFinders is in on the awareness path with a sun-exposure alert bracelet!  Much better idea than the “suntan turnover time alerts” we still hear on the radio some times…

Another way to make a “fashion statement” about melanoma is through the numerous items touting Melanoma Awareness which you can find at Zazzle.com, for example.

We applaud the AAD‘s “31 Days and 31 Ways” to Prevent and Detect Melanoma.  Check out each of the days of May for good tips and suggestions, as well as their list of locations for free skin cancer check-ups.  Of course, we believe that May is the best time — before summer kicks off — to get the most thorough exam possible using the latest high tech methods of screening for skin cancers and melanoma, and that is the methodology used by MoleSafe in the U.S. and MoleMap worldwide.

Here’s to a good, healthy month of May!

While there are, sadly, many victims of skin cancers and Melanoma — hence the existence of Melanoma Updates and our goal of driving awareness and preventative actions,  Alethea is one who has been inspiring and very public about her battle with the disease.

Now that battle has faced a two-sided assault:  she has received news of some 10 brain tumors, and is also fighting to raise the funds to travel from Cyprus to Germany for more advanced treatments.  As a physician I can say that this kind of metastasis is unfortunately statistically common in Melanoma patients, and survival rates are statistically unsatisfying.  You can read more on brain metastases on the Skin Cancer Foundation Web site.

I can tell you I don’t know Alethea, and have not vetted her case or her cause, but between her Facebook page and very specific blog posts I find her story and attitude very compelling and worth the read… and perhaps a contribution.   That is a personal decision, and there are many worthy causes we could all support.  At the very least, I want to share her very human emotions in her latest post here, filled with reminders of what we’ve been touting at MoleSafe as well:

Getting hopeful with every passing day as it means a day closer to when I can start my treatment. I can’t wait till they start shrinking these darn things and I can start a normal life again.

No one teaches you in school or as you grow up what do to in these situations, there’s no break glass in case of emergency and there is no instruction manual on what to do in case you get brain tumours.  So I live every minute by the minute and make it through the day with all your wonderful help.

All I ask that you please please avoid sunbeds, and sunbathing. Please love the skin you are in. Milk bottle white, means you are alive and will be alive. Life is too precious.

Love the skin you are in.

Now, with six clinic locations in the United States – from Albuquerque to Savannah, it is hugely satisfying to know that we’ve helped thousands find peace of mind about an area of concern, or even prolonged or saved some lives via early detection of Melanoma.  And skim through our other past blog posts this past year and it’s clear the word about best practices in detection and skin cancer prevention is getting out there more and more.  Yet my wish for the New Year is to offer peace of mind and good health to thousands more, from all of us at MoleSafe around the country, as we continue to fight the good fight.

Thank you for sharing this blog with your friends and family — and for remembering that the new year is a good time to renew a commitment to regular skin cancer check ups!

It is an equal opportunity assailant.

The good news is the money IS being well spent in research and seems to be starting to pay off. As I wrote about Bob Marley and other celebrities who have suffered and lost to Melanoma, vigilance is key, no matter your walk of life. Regular screenings at MoleSafe can SAVE LIVES via earlier diagnoses. In addition, as requested by the producer’s family, you may choose to honor someone with a donation to the American Cancer Society …or the Melanoma Research Foundation or the other organizations they list who are also doing excellent research towards finding better treatments and hopefully a cure:

• Aim at Melanoma (Formerly Charlie Guild Melanoma Foundation and the James A. Schlipmann Melanoma Cancer Foundation) – 214-923-8521
• Bill Walter III Melanoma Research Fund – 386-257-1585
• National Cancer Institute – (800) 422-6237
• Susan Fazio Foundation for Melanoma Research
• Teb’s Troops, Inc.

If you know others doing great work, please share!

Story of Melanoma patient's fight for life, and to raise awareness.

So we bring you this journey of Alan Lewis, from 3News. Alan, a record-setting speed boat racer, is a melanoma patient from New Zealand and now in a race for his life. He’s making it his mission to shine a worldwide light on the need for early detection of skin cancer by allowing a series of videos to follow his fight. Though his situation is dire, we thank him for his candor and bravery and by sharing it here hope to help that goal.

In the video, Alan mentions the challenge of a self-skin exam. As we suggested in a post from February, a great way to “love the one you’re with” is a mutual skin exam as a first line of defense. But best practices? Book your own thorough screening at a MoleSafe location today.

Story of Melanoma patient's fight for life, and to raise awareness.

So we bring you this journey of Alan Lewis, from 3News. Alan, a record-setting speed boat racer, is a melanoma patient from New Zealand and now in a race for his life.  He’s making it his mission to shine a worldwide light on the need for early detection of skin cancer by allowing a series of videos to follow his fight. Though his situation is dire, we thank him for his candor and bravery and by sharing it here hope to help that goal.

In the video, Alan mentions the challenge of a self-skin exam. As we suggested in a post from February, a great way to “love the one you’re with” is a mutual skin exam as a first line of defense. But best practices? Book your own thorough screening at a MoleSafe location today.

I see people all the time now with sunburn from mild to quite severe and I want to ask them if they know what they could potentially be doing to themselves. A friend of mine said she used baby oil recently. I said I used to use that. Look at me now. She promised she wouldn’t do it again. I hope she doesn’t. You see until this happens to you, you take many things for granted too, like our skin. We pay little or no care to what we subject it to when we spend hours in the sun just to get a tan and laugh and joke about our silly tan lines and our white bottoms afterwards. I have to say I dont miss the white bottom but I do miss being sun kissed. Now I feel like I’m being sun bashed. lol You cant get a skin transplant. Once you get melanoma you cant un-get it!

Mrs. Ayers writes with a charming candor that may help the healthy as well as those sharing her challenge to keep a good perspective:

One day at a time, one bus ride [to radiation therapy] at a time one zapping at a time. I go to bed early most evenings so I’m never knackered in the mornings although it takes me time to actually oil my my facial muscles to smile first thing. So poor hubby gets grumparse Alethea whilst everyone on the bus gets to see me awake and chirpy Alethea. By the time I get back its time to get my son from day care. He is such a happy baby (gets it from me lol) I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself.

In another entry she mentions her belated understanding of how day to day sun exposure that we may not even think of can creep up on us, such as hanging an arm out the window while driving. It’s a good reminder that defensive driving should include sunscreen! And checking that arm regularly — and other places where you may unconsciously get day to day exposure – as a more frequent part of your skin self-exam is a good idea, as mentioned by Dr. Richard Besser of Good Morning America:

No matter what your skin color, you have to check your skin regularly for signs of skin cancer. The first place to check is any area that is sun-exposed: your face, neck, ears, hands and your back and legs if you’re at the beach. Don’t forget your arm if you hang it out the window while you’re driving. Balding men should check their scalps — even the skin exposed by the part in your hair.

As Mrs. Ayers reminds us, please don’t take your skin for granted.