In response to this press release last week, I wrote below article for HuffPost: 

This article was originally called "Canadians Need to Know They May Not Get Available Cancer Treatments" but I digress....

#MelanomaThroughMyLens - Huffington Post

Hot off the press!  Please check out my new article on HuffPost Living - Canada

Sharing My Melanoma Journey Through Photographs 

Please click to "Like" and "Share" - I appreciate your support!

New Dermatologist

So..... I have mentioned before my somewhat chilly relationship with the Skin Doctor in my life... (comes with the territory of an ex-sun-baby melanoma patient I suppose) ...to the point of us CO-FIRING each other.  

My lovely Family Doc saved me yet again - I met my new Dermatologist today - right here in Meaford! 

A quick in - and - out in Ambulatory Care with a Derm on a once-monthly visit to Meaford Hospital determined me all-clear of any worrisome skin lesions. Yay that's a great first step!  We had a quick chat about my history, and of my future, of CT scans for monitoring post-clinical-trial, and we agreed to see each other again in six months.  

Sadly, come 2017, after a 15-year stint of monthly trips to Meaford, my new Dermatologist will be seeing patients in the Big Smoke only, so.... I will go see her there!  With my stage of melanoma I have as much chance of having a new melanoma on my skin as I did two (or twenty) years ago; a stage three diagnosis is more likely to re-appear internally than on the surface. But I digress...

I offered her a gift in thanks for checking in on us rural patients, by form of my article in Escarpment Magazine this month.   I explained that I am an aspiring Writer exploring the platform of a topic very dear to me, that of melanoma education and awareness advocacy.  

I flipped to the article in question and to my surprise she said "That's YOU?  Just this weekend we were talking about this article!"  She went on to say how she thought it was great that someone would take the time to write about and share this topic, and we briefly discussed the importance of changing the conversation regarding skin health and tanning etc.  I told her about how I have been sharing my story in the name of trying to help others to avoid a fate such as mine... Save The Skin You're In! 

In my new Dermatologists name I have decided to summarize my advocacy work in one post (to date), and for any new readers, Thank You.  Please feel free to click and share away.....

  

 

 

 

My 2nd ByLine on Huffington Post Canada

I received a nice little surprise today: an email from Her Magazine letting me know that they submitted the article I wrote in April (for Her Magazine) to Huffington Post, and it was re-published. 

My second byline on Huffington Post! This time on Huff Post Living (Canada) now titled It's Time We All Take Skin Cancer More Seriously, posted by Her Magazine Canada, with myself listed as the author, at the end of the article. It even links to my Huff Post profile, and to blog!

Please click here ...and I appreciate your clicks and shares...  xoxo 

I am grateful to all involved: Huffington Post for publishing, Her Magazine for the collaboration, and Save Your Skin Foundation for asking me to be part of the #NotJustSkinCancer campaign in the first place.   

A bonus for this, May is Melanoma Awareness Month. 

PS - My Portfolio  :-)

Me, Guest Blogger! Huffington Post Canada - It's #NotJustSkinCancer

I am proud to be part of the #NotJustSkinCancer campaign.  It is an excellent launch for discussion of the complacency in social media about sun safety (or the lack thereof) and skin cancer.  It also provides a message of hope for those already diagnosed with this silent killer.

Every day I deal with the pain and side-effects of melanoma, as well as the stigma of "Just Skin Cancer."  I am happy to share my perspective on that to change the perception of this disease - It is not JUST skin cancer, it IS skin cancer.  I wish to share my experience in order to prevent others from traveling the same journey my family and I are on. 

Thanks to the collaboration of the PR team behind the video, as well as Save Your Skin Foundation and Melanoma Network of Canada, I was invited to share my story on Huffington Post Canada.  Yes... Huff Post... I have finally stopped hyperventilating...

Please feel free to check it out and to "like" and "share" it - thank you for your support in helping to spread this message.  It's #NotJustSkinCancer