By Sarah Merrill

Sarah Merrill is a volunteer blogger for the Canadian Cancer Society’s Tanning is Out initiative. She is also a skin cancer survivor. In her latest post, she shares her story.

A few years ago I remember reading a magazine article about a girl in her twenties who after excessive tanning was diagnosed with skin cancer. The spread contrasted photos of her tanned with pictures of her embracing her natural skin tone. In the moment the story resonated, but I got up, put the magazine down and walked away. It would never happen to me.

I have always been a health conscious individual; I exercise regularly and eat healthy because I was taught to treat my body with respect. I wore sunscreen most of the time, but my lily-white skin didn’t mix well with the Saskatchewan sun. My love for outdoor sports seemed to make at least one major sunburn inevitable each summer. When it came to indoor tanning I was apprehensive, but at age 16 I tanned to get a “good base tan” for Mexico. A year or so later I tanned a couple of times before a friends prom, and one last time for my own prom. I did not want to be orange like the girls who graduated before me; I just wanted that “healthy glow”. I debated a spray tan, but it didn’t fit my high school budget and I’d have to travel to find a salon that offered spray tan services. Sadly, I didn’t know going in a tanning bed for ANY AMOUNT OF TIME before the age of 35 can increase one’s risk of skin cancer by 75%.

Somewhere along the line, a mole on my knee morphed from the small brown beauty mark it once was to a funky-looking pink aberration. I went to my doctor to get the mole removed - simply because it was unattractive - but he considered excision of the mole cosmetic and sent me on my way. By grade 12 the mole grew bigger, was getting more attention, and thus became worthy of a name - Frank. How the name came about, I cannot recall but it stuck. Frank was a creepy little guy, so unpleasant looking my peers suggested I wear band-aids over him and pretend it was a cut.

That fall, I moved to Calgary for university and the following short-shorts worthy summer brought Frank to my attention, for a second time. He was a little more red, a lot more raised, and rather round. With more determination than last time I went to a few doctors, but the results were the same; one doctor offered to freeze Frank off and the rest said, “It is nothing”. Finally, after pulling some strings, I got an appointment in Saskatchewan and drove home specifically to have the mole removed. Both the doctor and the surgeon who removed Frank said, “It is nothing,” and that they were only sending Frank in as mandatory procedure. I watched them plop Frank in a little container thinking a tiny little scar would be all I had to remember him by. Good riddance!

Wrong. Frank actually had a family and they had moved in. It turns out “nothing” was stage 3 invasive malignant melanoma. Fortunately, the process for me was short; I was diagnosed around Thanksgiving in 2010, went in for surgery on December 16, and was announced cancer-free freshly into the New Year. Even though I have the battle wounds to prove it, a scar on my knee (initial incision) and upper thigh (lymph node removal), the seriousness of the situation did not sink in until recently when I heard about Glenna Kohl. At age 26 after excessive tanning both indoors and outdoors, and a misdiagnosis, stage 3 invasive malignant melanoma took Glenna’s life. As I read her story, it finally hit me that it’s a miracle my cancer had not spread since stage 3 invasive malignant melanoma generally means the cancer has gone beyond the skin and traveled throughout the body to the lymph nodes.

If you are reading this you’re probably feeling the same way I did years ago sitting in the doctors office, but please don’t walk away thinking, “It will never happen to me,” like I did. I encourage you to discuss Frank to your friends, family, or anyone who will listen - tweet it, Facebook it, or get old school and just talk about it - tanning is not worth the risk. Make little changes in your life (I’m not saying don’t go outside, just be careful when you do). Know your skin, watch for signs of change and talk to your doctor if you have concerns.